have to be weary of Chat- replaced with getting out
ten’s all around game.
there and helping her
“High School was kind team win. She knows in
of a one man show. I used the back of her mind that
to like to take people on her knee can go at any
one-on-one,” stated Chat- moment.
ten recently by phone.
But, what athlete doesn’t
“In college, I had to learn think that. After all, inju-
to play one-two touches. ries are part of the game.
Also,
get-
It’s very rare
ting injured
that an ath-
“It was kind of lete will go
during my
f r e s h m a n frustrating
be- t h r o u g h
year
has
their
en-
been a big cause I had to play tire
career
problem so differently
(be- w i t h o u t
far in col- cause of the in- some sort of
lege.”
bumps and
The
big- jury). I felt like I bruises.
gest
part wasn’t the same
“This sum-
from an in-
mer is when
jury like the player anymore,” the knee fi-
one suffered stated Chatten.
nally didn’t
buy
Chat-
bother
me
ten isn’t the
as
much,”
physical aspect of making stated Chatten. “I finally
it back - but the mental. got my speed and I had
Getting back in there and to work overtime to final-
going full speed is not as
easy as one might think.
In the back of her mind,
she always wondered if
this was going to happen
again. Was the knee going
to give out for no reason?
Playing at the Division II
level is hard enough. Play-
ing at the Division II level
when you have doubt is
even harder. So is feeling
the effects of an injury. On
the surface Chatten was
going out and giving her
team everything she had
that first year she came
back.
What people didn’t see
was the pain and agony
after every single game.
That first year back was
hell for Chatten. It tested
her fortitude on a nightly
basis.
“It was kind of frustrat-
ing because I had to play
differently (because of
the injury). I felt like I
wasn’t the same player
anymore,” stated Chatten.
“After every game and ev-
ery practice I could barely
walk. I would play a game
and then I would have to
sit out the next practice
or two because I could
barely walk. It was just a
constant battle with try-
ing to keep myself healthy
enough to play.”
After a year of going
through hell, Chatten fi-
nally feels like herself.
The year of self doubt is
OCTOBER 19, 2018 | SportsUnion
ly get back to the player I
was my freshman year.”
The new and improved
Chatten is still the same
player she was in high
school and freshman year
in college - she just add-
ed a few wrinkles. Having
to sit out gave Chatten a
chance to view the game
differently.
She was able to see the
field differently than she
has before. That time away
from the field allowed her
to work on new things as
well that she could added
into her game. It was like
Chatten 2.0.
You had the speed and
someone who liked to run
onto the through ball all
the time to now someone
who could do different
things out on the pitch
and gives the opposing
teams different looks.
“Freshman year and club
23
I was always a through ball
player and taking defend-
ers on one-on-one,” stated
Chatten. “After the injury
I couldn’t do that anymore
because I wasn’t faster
than anybody else. It was
a new challenge with ball
to feet and turn and take
people on. It was like get
the ball and get rid of it
quick, which I wasn’t used
to. It brought something
else to my game. Now I am
a little bit of both. I have
the one-two touch aspect
and now I can take people
on. So, it opens up more
things now.”
It would have been easy
for Danielle Chatten to
give up and just try to be
the player before the in-
jury. But, the young lady
embraces the change and
has become a better play-
er because of it.