Alanna Smith is an Australian basketball player who plays for both the Phoenix Mercury and the Australian national team. A graduate of Stanford University, Smith was the 8th pick in the 2019 draft. She spoke with Just Women’s Sports about what the Olympics postponement means to hear and her teammates, the uncertainty surrounding the WNBA season, and what it was like to have a teammate who likely contracted the coronavirus. 

When did you first start to register that the coronavirus was a big deal?

I think in Australia, because we’re pretty isolated from the rest of the world, we were at little behind. We were watching as China and Italy started to report a lot of cases and go into lockdown. And then you guys in the US started to experience a surge. I think that prompted Australia to realize that we needed to make some moves, especially as cases started to pop up. Because there’s not enough materials to test it, we’re making estimates as to how many people have it. You just don’t know, but you know it’s a lot. Nowhere near the same amount as other places, but we’re still actively trying to stop the spread. Social distancing is in effect, and only essential businesses are open. We’re being encouraged to stay indoors. And all of that happened quite fast, maybe in just the past week or two.

And at what point did you realize the Olympics might be postponed?

Once travel bans were being put in place, and people were being discouraged from travelling. That was when I thought, Okay, this is an issue. Not just for basketball but for other sports as well, because people need to travel to qualifiers and such. And then just thinking about sports in general, so many of them involve contact. You’re in close proximity with others, which is super high-risk. So yeah, I had doubts early on to be honest, just thinking about the health and the safety of all the athletes as well as the fans. It didn’t seem plausible that they could pull it off.

What did you think of Australia’s decision to opt out prior to the official postponement? How did you think the committee handled everything? 

It was the right decision, just in terms of the health and safety of everyone. And I think the Australian Olympic Committee did a really good job of keeping us in the loop. They were sending out emails two to three times a week, telling us where to go for support and such. We weren’t left in the dark. We had a pretty good idea of what was going on. So overall I think they did their best in terms of the situation at hand. Obviously, right now everyone has to take it day by day, week by week.

But I also know that it was a really, really hard decision to make. You have athletes whose whole lives were dedicated to going to these Olympics. They worked year after year for this moment to be on the world stage, and then to just have it pulled out from under them is really tough. But thankfully, the games aren’t cancelled. They’re still happening, just at a different date.

How would you describe your team’s reaction to all this? 

I think overall, it’s definitely a little bit of heartbreak from the national team perspective. We were in a really good spot. We were ready, and we were really, really excited to get together to prepare for the Olympics. We qualified in early February in France, about two weeks before everything went crazy, and we came home from that expecting to turn all our attention to Tokyo. Obviously, that isn’t happening. But I also sense a bit of relief from a lot of people as well, because people were very worried about what was going to happen and what would come out of it if it was allowed to go ahead.

I have to start by stating the obvious: we’re living in strange, distressing, and unprecedented times. Never in my life have I seen so many people’s everyday lives be so radically re-scripted in the matter of a week. The coronavirus has brought the world to a standstill, and at this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to how long it will last. Global uncertainty has become the new normal.

The show can’t go on. March Madness has been cancelled, as have all college sports. The NWSL and WNBA seasons are likely to be pushed back, if not entirely cancelled, unless containment improves. And while both Japan and the IOC have so far refused to even publicly entertain the notion of cancelling the Olympics, it’s obvious that this is not only a real possibility, but is perhaps, increasingly, the only responsible one.

Sports may seem trivial at a time like this. And yet, it was only after major sporting events in America and Europe were cancelled that the general public began to take the threat of coronavirus seriously. And if we didn’t already understand just how crucial sports are to our collective identity, we soon will, as each day we wade deeper into our new sports-less world. Just as the coronavirus has already made clear just how fragile some of our most cherished institutions ultimately are, it may, in the coming weeks, likewise make evident just how much we rely on sports for both community and inspiration. (I know I can’t be the only one who spent the last weekend wishing there was a game on TV.)

But though the calendar is empty, Just Women’s Sports is marching on. We will continue to publish stories highlighting the courage of female athletes and the immeasurable impact of sports on our lives. Even when athletes can’t compete, they still have stories to tell. And while our content may look a little different over the coming weeks and months, our mission remains the same: to bring you everything there is to see and know in women’s sports.

We’re going to take this time to talk with athletes about what it means to have their careers put on pause. We’ll also revisit historical moments, highlight movies and re-watchable games to add to your streaming queue, and continue to cover breaking developments regarding both the lead up the Olympics and the USWNT’s pending gender discrimination trial. Rest assured, you’ll still be getting this newsletter in your inbox every week.

I’d like to end by sending my personal condolences to both those affected by the coronavirus as well as those who are most financially and socially vulnerable at this time. I also want to thank the many health care workers and government officials around the world who are working to contain this disease.

This is a time of widespread confusion and hurt. Show compassion. Be smart. Stay prepared.

We’re in this together.

Rebecca Mehra is a professional track athlete for Oiselle who currently competes in the 800m and 1500m. An All-American at Stanford, she now lives and trains in Bend, Oregon. Her story about shopping for an elderly couple who were scared to enter the grocery store in light of the coronavirus went viral over the weekend, leading to interviews on CNN and Fox News. Below, Mehra recounts her act of kindness and reflects on the impact of coronavirus on both her professional career and personal life. 

Can you walk us through what happened in that grocery store’s parking lot? 

After practice on Wednesday, I went to the grocery store to pick up some basic supplies and some food for dinner. As I was walking in, I heard, off to the side, a woman, yelling, “Hey, hey!” I had this moment of immediate apprehension, because it’s someone yelling at me from their car. But when I look, I see it’s this old woman waving at me. So I walk over, and she says, “I’m wondering if you can help me with something?” I say, sure. She goes, “My husband and I have been waiting here for a while. The first case of the Coronavirus just hit town, and we’re nervous to go to the grocery store. We know that the virus is disproportionately affecting older people, and it could be deadly for us, so we’re scared to go inside.”

What were your first thoughts when she said that?

I was just taken aback. I mean, during these crazy times, you think so much about yourself and your own situation. All my track meets are being canceled and my gym isn’t open. Those kinds of things affect my everyday life, but I’ve never been nervous to go into a grocery store or just to go outside because I’m afraid of being exposed to this virus. Of course, I don’t want to get sick, but I’ve never felt like my life has been threatened by this. So hearing her say that forced me to realize that there are people for whom this situation is just a lot more dire than it is for me. It’s nuts, honestly. In the moment, I was so surprised, I couldn’t say anything. But then as soon as she asked me if I would mind getting groceries for her, I said sure.

What happened then?

She had her window kind partially rolled down, just enough to slip me a handwritten little grocery list and a hundred dollar bill. So I go in and get their groceries. When I come back, they pop the trunk and I just put the groceries in there and then hand her back her change. I told her to have a great day, and she thanked me.  As I left, I didn’t think anything of it. But as soon as I got home I immediately regretted not giving them my phone number in case they needed help again.

What led you to share your story online? 

I didn’t really think much of it till I went home and typed out what had happened. I sent it to my boyfriend, Jordan, and he said I had to tweet that. We went back and forth, because I don’t really like Twitter. But I decided it may be worth it to share what happened, so I edited what I wrote him and posted it to Twitter. I usually just post about running, and immediately I could tell this was getting more attention. And as I kept checking it, the numbers just kept going up and up. I thought it was crazy when I went to bed and there were a few thousand likes. And then I woke up, and there’s over 10,000 retweets. Jordan and I realize, this is seriously viral. And the numbers just kept growing from there.

Why do you think so many people were inspired to share your story? 

I think that it resonated with people so much because this is such a hard time for everyone in so many different ways, and we’re all seeing the terrible news everyday. This was a small bit of light in a very dark time. I also think it made a lot of people come to the same realization that I had, that there are people in worse situations than me who I need to help. Ultimately, it’s a reflection of society at the moment. Everyone in the country is affected by what’s going on, which is why I think it hit home.

This must be such a strange time to have a tweet go viral. Obviously, you’re dealing with the impact of the virus on your career and your life, and then next thing you know you’re being interviewed on CNN. 

It’s a super weird dichotomy. One of my best friends is supposed to get married next weekend, and her wedding just got canceled. Three of my family members in Switzerland might very well have coronavirus. They haven’t been tested or diagnosed, but they have all the symptoms. So this is hitting home in a lot of ways, and then to have this weird viral fame for doing something that I think most good people would do anyways… it’s just such a strange and stressful time. At the very least, I’m glad that my story has provided people either some hope or some inspiration to be kind and help each other.

Kiley, Jamie and Ryann Neushul are all members of the U.S. Women’s National Water Polo program currently competing for spots on the team’s Olympic roster. All three sisters played for Stanford University, where Kiley and Jamie each won three national championships. Ryann, who won a national championship at Stanford as a freshman, is currently taking the year off from school to train with Team USA. The final Olympic roster is expected to be announced in May. Below, the three sisters discuss what it’s like to all be teammates for the first time, the impact of coronavirus on the upcoming Olympics, and how they balance competing with and supporting one another. 

The Olympics are only a few months away. Where are you all mentally at the moment?

Ryann: I’m just trying to enjoy the ride, be present for it, be committed, work hard. And what happens happens. My main goal coming into this was to be true to who I am as a player and as a person. I want to look back and be proud of the effort I put forth.

Jamie: I’m getting super excited. It was nice to break into 2020 in January, and now each month just feels closer and closer. The process is grueling, but the closer you get, the more motivated you are. It’s definitely stressful, because we have a really good team with a lot of talent and a lot of returners from Rio. It definitely helps to have family on the team. Right now I’m focused on putting in the time and proving my commitment. I’m in it, and I feel like I’m earning respect from the group.

Kiley: Of course there’s pressure just to make the team, but it’s all business, everyday. And it’s going to be all business throughout the Olympics. This is an extremely competitive group, and no matter what combination of players is taken, it’s going to be a very competitive team. Right now, we’re just looking forward to the next couple of months, to just try and make this team, honestly.

The coronavirus has caused major cancellations across sports and beyond. At this moment, the Olympics are still on, but how are you coping with the idea that they might be cancelled? 

Jamie: From what we’ve heard from our coach, and what we’ve heard from the Olympic committee, it sounds like the games are going to go on, so we’re just going business as usual until it’s really, really an issue. Until we’re told that we’re not competing, we’re going to train like we are. It’s not worth spending time thinking about the Olympics not happening unless we’re 100% sure they’re not happening.

Kiley: The thought of them not happening is pretty heartbreaking. I can’t even think about that until someone in a position of power looks me in the eyes and tells me we’re not going.

How did all three of you end up at Stanford? Did you know when you were younger that was where you all wanted to be? 

Kiley: My parents really emphasized academics as well as athletics, and Stanford offered the best combination of both. It was always my dream school. There was some talk of Jamie and Ryann maybe going back east when they started looking at schools, but ultimately I think we each realized that Stanford provided the most reliable path toward a future Olympic career.

Jamie: I wanted to be like Kiley when I was younger. She was always really athletic, and that gave me someone I could look up to and model myself after. But Stanford was honestly its own thing for all three of us. Each of us separately had that goal, and Kiley and I just happened to overlap while we were there. It was special to do that together, but we were also able to forge our own path, as we were in totally different social circles and also did a lot of different things outside of the pool.

Ryann, you’re taking the year off of Stanford. What was that like to step away from school? 

Ryann: Honestly, it’s been an emotional roller-coaster ride. I was added pretty late to this training group, so I didn’t know until later than most that I was taking the year off. Which isn’t a problem, I just wasn’t thinking about it. I was really focused on my college season and getting better and taking care of my classes, and then suddenly I had to make this big decision about my future. You have to make sacrifices to play at this level. For me, that means not having that shared college experience with the grade I came in with. I still have my friends and my teammates at Stanford, and they’re not going away. And I know the decision I made was the right decision, but there’s definitely days when I think, man, I miss my school. I miss my friends. But I know this is making me a better water polo player, a better teammate, and a better sister.

Kiley and Jamie played together at Stanford, but this is the first time all three of you are on the same team. What’s that like? 

Kiley: It’s a little different because on this team there’s first just the pressure of having to make the team, and all three of us basically play the same position. We’re all attackers. There’s not a lot of competition between the three of us, though, because we are very different players, and each e of us brings something different to the table. But there’s still pressure. This is a very competitive squad, and everyday you have to show up.

Jamie: It’s definitely interesting. We technically play the same position, but we all play it in a really different way. At the same time, we view the game similarly, so it can be really fun to make those connections in the water. Kiley and I have been on a lot of teams together, so there’s familiarity there. Ryann has this really strong personality from being the youngest and wanting to carry on that legacy, so it’s fun to see her come in with the confidence she has and bring it into this group that’s super seasoned. She kind of has to scale it back some times and be more of a role player [laughs], but it’s cool to see her learning a ton and to get to make those connections in the water. It feels very natural.

Ryann: When I was growing up I went to every single game of theirs that I could. Kiley first joined the national team when she was 17, and I was 10, so I didn’t quite understand the gravity of what she was doing, but I definitely looked up to her as a kid. I definitely looked up Jamie. So now to get to play with not only my sisters, but players I looked up to, is amazing. It’s also difficult, because these are people you don’t want to let down. As a younger player, you always want to prove to your idols what you can do. You want to measure yourself against the great players in your sports. And that dynamic is just a little more interesting when two of those players are your sisters.

Do you ever take a step back and think about just how crazy it is that all of you played water polo at Stanford and now are all competing for a spot on the US team? 

Ryann: When you’re in it the way we’re in it right now, it doesn’t cross your mind because you’re just so busy getting through the day. But when you take a step back, I think it’s really cool. To all have competed at Stanford is one thing, but to also be a part of the national program together — it’s surreal to be competing at this high of a level with your family.

Kiley: A lot of sisters have gone through the national program, but I don’t think there’s ever been three at one time, which is really cool for us. We get to hang out every day together and train together. We unfortunately don’t all live together, though that’s probably for the best. It lets us have our separate time and hang out with our other teammates.

Do you think it’s changed your relationship out of the pool? 

Kiley: I think we have to hold back parts of our relationship that we never had to before. The grind is real. It’s train, recover, sleep, prepare, which means we don’t get to enjoy the same freedom we had at home. We’re a super active family, and we like doing stuff together on the weekends or in the evenings, and we just can’t do that here. It’s bittersweet, because you know that everyday you’re preparing for something bigger than yourself. But at the same time, it’d be nice to just hang out with my sisters, get a coffee, go for a run, like we used to do in Santa Barbara or at Stanford. But there’s just too many hours of training.

Ryann: The three of us are pretty tight knit, and we’re very comfortable as a family. But it’s hard sometimes because even though on paper we all did the same thing, we each have different experiences. We each have our own process. I don’t have a clear cut answer because I’m still learning how to deal with that. It’s never something I think you just have down. Every day it’s a little different, and it’s both fun and frustrating and everything that you can imagine all in one. As a family, we try to leave it in the pool. If I compete against my sisters and lose that day, no matter how I feel, I leave it in the pool. And then I come home and enjoy my time with my sisters. It’s hard, but you learn how to handle it as you go.

Jamie: It helps that we’re all in very different positions. Kylie’s obviously been around a lot longer than Ryann and I.

Kiley: Yeah, I’m old.

Jamie: So she’s a big leader on this team. And then Ryann and I are just trying to earn our stripe. If anything, we’re just supporting each other through our separate journeys. I feel the competition, and I want to beat my sisters when they’re not on my team in practice or when they’re guarding me, but in terms of the ending, the roster, competing for playing time — I feel like that’s all support. We all just hope the best for each other. We’re building each other up. The process is grueling, and there are definitely times where that’s all you can focus on, but seeing both your sisters on the pool deck definitely makes it worth it.

Ryann: I think we’re all just trying to soak it in, because we know it’s not always going to be like this. It’s become so familiar now, but next year everything will change. I’ll be back at school, and who knows where my sisters will be, or what the future will hold. This is a bond we’re going to have for the rest of our lives, so we just want to enjoy the experience because we know it won’t last.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you as a family? 

Kiley: It’s a small sport, and when you have three kids on the national team, people obviously know who you are. We’re definitely viewed as a water polo family, and the sport is in some ways a language that we all share. But it’s not how we define ourselves. I think people assume it’s all we do, but all three of us and our parents are interested in so many different things outside the pool. We didn’t chase water polo to the highest level solely to reach the highest level. It was always about being the best people that we can be, being the strongest women that we can be. Our parents did a good job just instilling those values in us, and all of us hope that our legacy in water polo goes well beyond the X’s and O’s. That’s very important to us.

Ryann: We know it’s a great story and that it gives exposure to our sport. We play this sport because we love it, not for the media. But we also want more little girls to come out for water polo, so we’re happy to bring whatever exposure we can. It’s a hard sport. It’s widely respected, even if it’s not as well known, so we’d love for it to become more popular.

Jamie: We’re dedicated to our sport, and we’re locked in for the Olympics, but I think we’re also all excited to see how this experience helps us whenever we leave water polo and do something else. The values our parents instilled in us have helped us be successful in our sport, but they also go way beyond that. Right now, this is just a really special experience for the three of us to go through together. There’s positives and negatives to everything, but we’ll just have to wait to see what we want to carry with us, and we want to leave behind.

Kristen Hamilton plays as a forward for both the North Carolina Courage of the NWSL and the Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia’s W-League. Prior to helping the Courage win their second NWSL title in a row last season, Hamilton was called into the USWNT, where she recorded her first national team cap against Portugal in September.

The NWSL is entering it’s 8th season. You’ve been in the league for five years. What’s changed since you joined? 

The league has made leaps and bounds since I’ve been involved. I tore my ACL right out of college, so 2015 was technically my first full year in the league, and oh my gosh, the minimum salary was like $6,000, which is absolutely insane. The minimum this year is up to $20,000, so even just in terms of money, it’s gotten much better. We now have year-round housing. We have better medical training staff. Just all around, it’s a more professional organization. This is actually something that people can do for a living now. Before, it was almost like you had to pay to be a professional athlete.

Your own career has been on an incredible upward trajectory. Can you talk about what it was like mentally to grind for so long without seeing much of the field?  

Mentally, it was exhausting. In this league, you’re always fighting to earn your spot, because everybody’s the best of the best. If it’s not something you’re passionate about, if it’s not something you love and you’re truly willing to fight for, I don’t think it’s for you. This was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around when I first got into the league. I realized I just had to fight and be patient. I had to learn to be a different type of role player on the team. If I’m not scoring all the goals, I have to find another way to help us win. No matter the number of minutes I’m playing, I need to be the best teammate I can possibly be. I tell rookies this all the time, but you have to understand that everyone in this league was the best player on their college team. That’s why they’re here. They probably played every minute of their college career. Not everyone is going to get to do that at the next level, at least not right away.

Did you ever think about walking away? 

There were definitely times I wanted to quit. And there was a time when I wanted Paul to trade me, because, to be fair, our team is stacked. Our forwards are unbelievable. And Jessica and Lynn we’re playing so well together, I knew that it was going to be hard to take them off the field. They were just that good. It’s hard when you have coaches telling you that you could get more minutes on another team, and you’re like, do I really want to leave this environment? Because Paul and all of us really have built something special in North Carolina. I feel like I’m still getting better every day, whether I’m playing 90 minutes or zero. And I think that’s very, very rare and very unique. The fact that people still want to stay on the same team, even though they’re not playing, is a testament to Paul and a testament to all the girls on the team just making everyone feel welcome. But yeah, I wanted to be traded, and now I’m very happy that I wasn’t.

I’m playing in Australia for the first time right now, and I love it, but I definitely miss the environment in North Carolina. I’m playing every minute here, but that on its own hasn’t made me necessarily happier. It’s been a good wake up call for me, because it’s helped me realize how important the people are and the culture is. There’s so much more that goes into it than just playing a 90 minute game. I’ve been blessed to come down here and have a great time and also have this learning experience. It’s a hard gig, but I’m grateful to be playing.

You were called into the national team after this last season. What was that experience like? 

Honestly, I kind of thought that opportunity had passed. I thought that was just something that was never going to come to fruition. In my head I was just kinda like, Oh well, I’m going to continue to play because I love it, and I’ll play as long as I can because who wants to go sit at a desk and work a job when you could be out on the field doing this? But then I got an opportunity to join the team for the World Cup victory tour, and it was amazing. I had zero international experience. I was never with the youth national team. My route was very unconventional, but it worked out. It made me realize the dream isn’t dead. And it’s something that, once you get a little taste of it, it just kind of makes you want more.

Your partner, Abby Erceg, is also on the Courage. What’s it like to compete day in and day out with someone that you’re also in a relationship with?  

To be honest, it’s really good that we play different positions. Because even though we go against each other, it’s not a competitive thing where, if she started then I wouldn’t. It isn’t a positional battle, which would suck. We’re always having fun on the field, but we’re super competitive with each other. There’s a lot of banter, especially if I score on her. And if she beats me in a sprint, it’s because I wasn’t warm. Obviously, she’s starting every game because she’s a badass — I’m not biased or anything. And it’s so cool just go see somebody you love, somebody you care about, go out on the field and just be so successful. And there’s something very real about being in this together, about getting to see somebody on a daily basis live out their passions. Most people don’t get to see their partners at work. But we each get to see each other at our most authentic moments, doing what we love.

Is it hard to turn it on and off, in terms of stepping onto the field and being teammates, and then stepping off and being in a relationship?  

We’re pretty good about that stuff. It’s easy to stay focused on the field because your mind is so preoccupied. It’s not like I’m sitting there as we’re competing, thinking, you know, I’m in a relationship with her. She’s just another teammate in those moments. It’s very professional. It’s very much, when we’re at work, it’s work. We understand that and everyone else on the team knows that. And then after work, you go home and things are normal. Things might get heated at training, but you learn to leave it on the field.

The NWSL season is just around the corner. What’s your mindset like right now as you and the Courage get ready to defend your title? 

Personally, I’m just looking forward to another year of challenges and continuing to grow. I think that’s something that Pau has done really well, is instill in us that you’ve never reached your peak potential. You can always grow, you can always improve. Last season was definitely my best as a pro, so I just want to build on that. I think everyone on the team is excited to get back into the environment we’ve built. It feels like a home. It feels like family. I can’t wait to get back in that locker room and see everyone. I don’t mind missing a bit of the pre-season right now though. Paul usually kicks our ass.

Kelley O’Hara plays for both Utah Royals FC and the US women’s national team. A two-time World Cup winner, O’Hara is a graduate of Stanford University, where she won the 2009 Hermann Trophy as the best player in the country. Just Women’s Sports caught up with O’Hara to talk about Olympics prep, coming back from injury, and her ill-fated attempt to see if she could walk away from soccer.

The Tokyo Olympics are only months away. How would you describe the team’s mindset?  

I don’t know if the casual fan realizes that the World Cup and the Olympics are always back-to-back summers for women. And no team has ever won a World Cup and then gone on to win an Olympic Gold Medal. In 2015, we won the World Cup, and in 2016 we lost in the quarterfinals of the Olympics in Rio, which is the worst we’ve ever done in a major tournament. So right now the question we’re asking ourselves is, can we do this thing that no one has done before? We want to prove to ourselves that we can.

Given how successful the USWNT has been, do you need that extra bit of motivation in terms of trying to make history? 

We always want to win, no matter the circumstances. This is just the next thing. It’s the next hurdle we want to get over, and it’s a pretty big hurdle. There’s a reason no one has done it before. You have to go from the high of winning a World Cup to starting all over again, knowing you have to make all the mental and physical and social sacrifices a second time. Before this, we wanted to prove that we could win back-to-back World Cups. And we did that, and it was incredible. But now we have to see if we can lock in and accomplish this next goal.

You especially looked sharped in the last World Cup. 

Thank you.

It must be such a confidence thing, right? 

It for sure is, and I knew that going in. In tournaments past, I haven’t been confident, but I knew that it was going to be such a mental battle. I knew that I couldn’t necessarily control all the physical factors, but I could control my mental game. Even when I was rehabbing and conservatively coming back from having a stress reaction, I could still focus on the mental piece. I was like, I can’t be on the field right now, but I’m going to visualize playing in a game. And I did that leading up to the World Cup more than I’ve ever done before. And I think that was a big reason why I was able to feel comfortable and confident, even though my lead-up to the World Cup was the complete opposite of what I had thought it would be.

Can you talk about your experiences coming back from injury? What have they taught you? 

The thing is that I didn’t really have to deal with any serious injuries during my amateur career. I tore my meniscus my senior year of high school, which was the first time I had to get surgery, but I was back on the field in four weeks. Even though it was minor, I completely lost it mentality when I was told I needed surgery. I immediately went to a party in order not to think about it. And then in my professional career I had to have surgery in 2013. This was coming off of graduating in 2010, going to the 2011 World Cup and losing in the final, and then going to the 2012 Olympics and playing every minute of every game and winning a gold model. And then a year to the day after we won, I walked out of the doctor’s office having been told that I needed full ankle reconstruction.

What had you done to your ankle? 

I just had rolled it so many times. And I rolled it really bad at the beginning of that season, and it just got to the point that I was rolling it every single game. It was so unstable, and on top of that, I had loose bodies in there. So every time I would go to kick, or pass, or plant, or cut — each time my ankle had pressure on it, there was something inside my ankle that was just rubbing it the wrong way. And it was through-the-roof painful. Actually getting through that injury ended up being one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

How long was that recovery?

Surgery was in August, and I probably didn’t feel 100% until the next August, but I was back on the field by January of the next year. It was a lot. I had never had to go through something like that. It’s something that’s stuck with me, because now every time I do get injured, I have this hindsight to fall back on. I know I can’t come back too soon, that I have to take my time and do things the right way. I’ve had to deal with a handful of injuries since then, and it’s never easy. It’s a total mental and emotional hurdle.

What made that recovery especially difficult? 

It’s the questions you ask yourself. It’s like, am I going to be back to where I was before? Am I going to be good enough? And it made me question if I even really wanted to continue to play soccer. It made me re-evaluate how I looked at my career, how I looked at myself as a person. I was like, you know, I could just be a normal person, work out on the weekends.

You were going to work out just on the weekends? 

Well, I mean, you know. Whenever I could. [Laughs.] After they told me I needed surgery, I went for a jog in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. I wanted to prove to myself that I could just work out leisurely, and that wasn’t the case. I had to do a little soul-searching and ask myself what I wanted to get out of this whole journey. And I realized I wasn’t done, and that I still had aspirations I wanted to chase.

Jordan DiBiasi is a midfielder for the Washington Spirit. The 3rd overall pick in the 2019 NWSL draft, DiBiasi played her college soccer at Stanford, where she helped the Cardinal win the 2017 College Cup. DiBiasi spoke with Just Women’s Sports from the national team’s camp in Florida, where the USWNT is training for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup.

How has your first national camp been? 

It’s been awesome. It’s been a really, really good experience, and I’m super thankful for it. This has always been a dream of mine, but I didn’t have any idea that it would happen now. I mean, on the first day, I came in and they were recapping qualifying games. And I’m like, oh my goodness, I was just watching those on TV at my house, and now we’re talking about the strategy they had going in. It’s also been cool to see everyone at this level because I’ve competed against them in the NWSL, and I trained with a lot of them in college. But to see them united and all together in person, day in and day out, on and off the field has been amazing.

You’ve played with a lot of these players before. What’s it like having so many familiar faces around? 

I think it just gives me a lot of confidence because there is this sense of familiarity, even if it is a totally new environment. And outside of the people I already knew, everyone’s been really cool to me. We had pick-up hours before training started, where we were playing on small goals, and my team was literally Andi [Sullivan], Tierna [Davidson], Lindsey [Horan], and Rose [Lavelle]. I was on cloud nine. It was so much fun. And off the field, they’re all very inclusive. I don’t really feel like I’m burdening them as much because I know them, and we’re friends [laughs].

Does it feel like a big jump from the NWSL or does it feel like you’ve been here before?

I feel like as you go up the ladder, it’s always a little faster. The biggest thing I’ve noticed here is that everyone’s on the same page, so the speed of play and the speed of thought is really, really fast. Everyone is being proactive in their runs. They’re all just so smart and efficient. Sometimes when you’re watching soccer, you think, “Oh, it’d be cool if someone did X, Y, then Z.” But now on the field, everyone’s so in sync and playing at such a high level, they’re actually executing it, which is amazing. They don’t even have to talk about it, they all just know what to do, and they do it all with one touch. They play it perfectly with the right pace and the right texture on the ball. It’s the little details and the slightest of things, but they’re expert at it and they do it very nonchalantly. A lot of times I’m like, oh, that was sweet. I would act way more excited if I did that [laughs].

How did you find out you’d been called up? 

I was in Colorado training in the off-season, and it was right before I went back to DC. And I got this message from my coach in DC, and he told me to call him after I talked to Vlatko. I was like, wait, what? It totally came out of left field. And then I got this email about SheBelieves and Vlatko called. He basically said he wanted to bring me into the environment and expose me to it and see how I did just so I could get comfortable. All I could think was, holy smokes.

Everyone dreams of playing with the USWNT. What was it like to have come true? 

Obviously I was super excited. You never know when you’re going to get these opportunities, and this was something I’d been dreaming about for a long time. When I first found out, I was just overwhelmed. I was just like, wow, and I called my parents, and they said, what? And I told them, I know, I know, I’m so excited. But I’ve also competed with a lot of these players before, and I always believed that if I worked hard, I could get to this level. I know I’m here for a reason, so now I just have to give it my best shot.

What was your mindset when you actually arrived at camp? 

I didn’t have any expectations. I told myself, you know, I’ve been training really hard. I’ve always really wanted this. I know I can compete, and I’m just going to give it my best. That was my thought process, and I think it’s paid off. It’s a different level, and I don’t really know the system and I’m still learning all the details. And because it’s been my dream for so long, obviously I’m a little nervous. But I’ve been able to take a step back and just enjoy it. I’m embracing it and trying to learn and grow as much as I can.

And getting called up once isn’t my be-all, end-all. I want to be on this team, so now the question is, what am I going to do with the information I get from this camp, and how am I going to better myself when I go away in order to give myself the opportunity to come back.

It sounds like there’s a bright future for you. 

Okay, so SheBelieves is this weekend. You were called into camp, but you won’t be on the roster. What will game day be like for you? 

I’m going to the game, and I get to sit in like a box or something. I’m not exactly sure what the set-up is, but I’m really excited. Initially, I didn’t think I was going to get to stay for the game, but now that I am, I’m just super excited to see what everyone is like before the match, what they do and how they handle it. Are they listening to music? Is it quiet? Like, what’s the vibe? And then to watch them play will obviously be really fun.

You’ve been in the ID camp, but this is like your first true call up. It ends in a couple days. What’s next for you? 

I have my process and I just want to keep working on that. This camp has been awesome, and the end goal is obviously to be consistently called in. I mean, that’s the angle. There’s a lot of steps I have to take to get there. And now that we’re starting the NWSL season, I’m taking what I learned from here, going back to my NWSL team, applying it, and working really hard. I’m totally invested in the Spirit, and I know that being the best version of myself is what’s going to help the team most, so I want to do whatever I can to bring my game to the next level.

This is only your second year in the league. What are some of your personal and team goals for the season? 

I’m super excited to not be a rookie anymore [laughs]. I made a lot of mistakes last year, so I’m excited to learn from them and grow. Our team obviously hasn’t met as a conjoined group yet because not everyone has been in DC. But without anything being said, we all want to win. Obviously that’s the end goal, but that’s everyone’s goal. So now we have to figure out how to make it happen. Last year, we didn’t make playoffs, so I think the first step is to do that. And then we’ll go from there.

Kate Courtney is a professional mountain bike racer. She is the 2019 Elite XCO World Cup Overall Champion, the current Pan American Champion, and the 2018 Elite XCO World Champion. Kate sat down with Just Women’s Sports to discuss the demands and rewards of being a world-class endurance athlete, as well as how she’s preparing for the 2020 Olympics. 

We’re only a couple months out from the Olympics. Now that you’ve qualified, how are you focused on getting prepared?

I am honored and excited to represent my country for the first time at the Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo. My goal was to qualify automatically and be able to focus my preparation towards this specific race. With my spot secured, it is full focus on being at my best when it counts most! As always that involves many hours on the bike, in the gym and working with my team to identify every possible opportunity to improve or gain an advantage with this specific course in mind.

Do you have specific performance goals for the Olympics?

Perform to the absolute best of my ability. Of course, I have outcome goals as well and bringing home a medal would be an incredible honor. But for now I am focused on the process of getting to that starting line ready to put down the best race performance possible.

For someone who isn’t familiar with cross country mountain biking, how would you describe it? 

It’s similar to middle-distance running, in that it’s short enough to be a full-out effort, yet long enough that it’s more of an endurance sport than a sprint. Our races are typically five or six laps around a 5km loop, which takes between an hour and twenty and an hour and thirty minutes. You’re going over a huge variety of terrain, so it’s equal parts endurance, technical skill, and racing tactics.

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What does your training regimen look like throughout the year?

To be an endurance athlete, you have to put in the hours. There’s no way to shortcut the process. Outside of an annual five day break, I don’t take any time off, and most days I’m on my bike for anywhere between three to five and a half hours. A “down day” for me means going to the gym and riding for 45 minutes. To keep your fitness where it needs to be, there can’t be any lapses in your training.

How do you avoid burnout spending that much time on your bike? 

You have to maximize every aspect of your life to compete at the highest level, including your downtime. You have to train hard, but you also need to find ways to stay healthy, happy, and motivated. If I’m doing a long, endurance ride, I’ll listen to music or a podcast, or I’ll end my training with a trip to a bakery. If I know it’s a really scenic route, I’ll try to convince someone to come with me. On less intensive days, I might take an early break for lunch and get my nails done. I still put the work in, but I don’t torture myself. Then during more intensive days, when I’m trying to simulate a race, it’s all business. No music, no bakeries. I’m locked in and focused on rehearsing my race-day performance.

I’m also fortunate to have a really great team, and we’ve been working consistently in a way that I trust. Endurance athletes are most at peace when we know there’s nothing more we can do, and with my team, I’m never left asking if I have to do more. I also just train really, really hard. And I’m obsessed with improving. But for me, being a full-time athlete means learning to balance that intensity with rest.

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What was it like being both a professional athlete and a full-time Stanford student? 

I won’t sell it short: it was incredibly challenging. It was ultimately a formative and positive experience, but it was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Not being an official student-athlete made it difficult, as the official university policy doesn’t provide academic accommodations for professional athletes. I had to create my own support structure and find ways to navigate the system on my own. Every quarter I would register for 25 units and then go to the classes on the first day and tell the professors, look, I’m going to be gone for three out of the next ten weeks. I’ll do whatever you need me to do to make up for it. I’ll write extra essays, I’ll read extra books. I have a lot of plane time. Can we make this work? And a lot of them said no. But enough said yes that I was still able to graduate in four years, even though I took time off during the last Olympic cycle.

How did not making the Olympics four years ago change your approach?

In 2016, I was arguably too young to go, but I had a long shot, so I decided to go for it. It was just too exciting to pass up, and I was definitely caught up with the idea of having this amazing experience, getting all the Nike gear and meeting all these athletes. By the end of qualifications, it was between me and another woman for a discretionary pick. Neither of us had automatically qualified, so USA Cycling had to pick. I was the younger racer, and they could have picked me as a way of giving me exposure, but they chose her.

I knew I hadn’t quite done what I needed to do, but I was still super disappointed. But with that disappointment came the realization that I really, really wanted to be an Olympian. I had told myself throughout the qualification that, “It’s a long shot, so I’ll just do my best and see what happens.” But then when I found out I wasn’t going, I just thought, “Wow. I worked really hard, and I really wanted to go.” And I knew right then that I didn’t want to just go to the Olympics because I had potential or because it would be a cool experience. I wanted to earn the right to be there. I wanted to go, compete, race my bike, and be a favorite for a medal.

In the last two years, you’ve won both a cross-country world title and the overall World Cup season. How do you account for so much success at such a young age? 

There are so many things that go into successful races, but they rest on a foundation of years and years of consistent work and progress. For me, the consistency in my progress has been critical to making those big wins possible, and it continues to motivate me to make steady improvement in the future.

Alanna Smith plays as a forward for both the Phoenix Mercury and the Australian National Team. Born in Tasmania, Australia, Smith was an All-American at Stanford University, where she was the Cardinal’s first-ever international recruit.

When did you decide you wanted to play college ball in America? 

My uncle went to college in California, and that put the idea in my head. My dad pushed it. Both him and my uncle had played professionally, so they were a big part of my basketball life growing up.

How did you decide on Stanford? 

I wanted basketball to be a vehicle to a good education, and Stanford, academically and athletically, was one of the best. It took a while to get on their radar, though. The women’s basketball team had never had an international recruit before, and I had to email them for three months before anyone responded. I stayed persistent and told them that I wanted to do a visit. They finally relented and said I could come. I had to walk right off a 17 hour flight and into a workout for the coaches. It was brutal, but I did enough to pique their interest. Other schools treat you like a celebrity when you’re a recruit, but Stanford is very business-like because they can never promise you admission. So I was thrilled when I finally got the call. I started running around my house.

What was it like going to school 8,000 miles from home? 

The first two years were rough. When I arrived, I thought I’d made it. I’d fought my way into my dream school. But because of a national team commitment, I couldn’t come to athlete orientation in the summer, so I had to jump right into classes and basketball in the fall while also adapting to a new country. It was a struggle. On the court, I wasn’t performing as well as I could, and I was having a hard time keeping up with my school work. I developed anxiety and was super homesick, but the 17 hour time difference made it hard to call my family in Australia.

Were you experiencing culture shock?  

Yes. I thought the transition would be easy because I’d grown up watching American television, and obviously I spoke English. But there were a lot of subtle cultural differences. Like a lot of Australians, I’m pretty laid back, so I had to adjust to how formal American etiquette can be, especially in restaurants. There’s so much emphasis on service here. And in Australia, we don’t tip. I kept forgetting that my first year, which resulted in a lot of side-eyes whenever I’d leave a table.

I also didn’t know what “tailgating” was. People kept referencing it during the fall in my freshman dorm, so finally I had to ask what they were talking about. I thought it might have something to do with trucks, so I was very confused.

What about on the court? Were there differences in how American players approached the game?  

For one thing, I had to start calling out plays with an American accent so my teammates could understand me. In terms of culture, it’s definitely more of a collective mindset in Australia. You always feel like you’re working as a group. The mentality in America is more individualistic, even when you’re on a team. You have to find ways to put yourself out there as a player. That’s not really the case back home.

After that first year, what kind of adjustments did you make? 

I had actually gotten a decent amount of playing time off the bench for a freshman despite my struggles, so I thought sophomore year was my time to step up and be a starter. But the season started off the same as the one before. I wasn’t playing well. I still felt homesick. Coach started a freshman over me. I kept thinking, what the hell? This was supposed to get better. 

I just had to keep grinding. Toward the middle of the season, I had a break-out game, which instilled some confidence in both myself and my coaches. I started to string more games together, and by the end of the year, I’d carved out my role as the 6th woman. We made it all the way to the Final Four. The next season, I was a full-time starter. And then my senior year, I was an All-American.

Did you ever consider quitting during those first two years? 

There were moments I came close, but I had a great support system around me on the team. And having to go through those pains and fight for my minutes meant that once I’d established myself as our top scorer and rebounder, I knew I’d earned it. And I felt I owed it to myself to go out and perform every night because of how hard I had worked to get that opportunity.

How was the jump to the WNBA?

On a more personal level, one thing I had to quickly internalize was that this is a business. You can be cut at any point during, especially as a rookie. You have to be mentally tough to go out there and do your job knowing you might not have it tomorrow.

Do you think having to work your way off the bench at Stanford helped you prepare for the WNBA? 

Absolutely. There’s something to be said for having to fight for your spot every step of the way. It weeds out a lot of personalities and teaches you to stay confident even when you’re on the bench. There are some players in this league who have been stars their entire careers, and they have to adjust to not being the go-to scorers. I don’t play some games, but I’m always ready. I know my time will come, so I have to be prepared.

Looking back on your rookie season, what stood out? 

It didn’t go exactly as I planned because of injuries, but I still learned so much from some of the best players in the world, and I got to play in the best league in the world. I’m now super keen to start my second year.

How have you changed since coming to America?

Mentally, I’m in a much better place now. A lot of my early college struggles were due to anxiety, which I’ve come to realize is a serious issue for a lot of athletes. More attention needs to be given to mental health in sports. People shouldn’t be afraid to discuss these issues. I know that for me, talking with my teammates and leaning on my family helped me develop a more consistently positive mindset. Words of encouragement from people I trusted were really important.

What are some of your current strategies for dealing with anxiety? 

I write a lot of stuff down. Simple as that sounds, it helps. Just writing out what I’m feeling helps me gain some distance from it. And on days when I’m down, I’ll list out things I’m thankful for. Doesn’t matter if it’s big or small: air conditioning, pancakes, having the opportunity to play in the WNBA. Writing it out forces me to take a step back and reflect on the privileges I enjoy. It forces me to remember that no matter my mood that day, I’m ultimately fine. I’m genuinely in a very good spot right now.

Is there any other advice you’d like to pass along? 

I’m someone who firmly believes that positivity is required if you want to get anything done. You’ll never have the necessary energy if you’re just feeling awful all the time. The right mindset has to be there before you can really get to work.