(Photo: BrittBock11/Instagram)

Photo: BrittBock11/Instagram

‏

By Ana Aguilera-Juarez

Being reunited with former college coach Randy Waldrum, things were bright for Houston Dash midfielder Brittany Bock.

She played for Waldrum at Notre Dame from 2005-08, and helped the team to the NCAA Women’s Soccer National Finals in 2006.

After years of playing in the Women’s Professional Soccer League, she entered the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013 where she played for Sky Blue FC. Once Waldrum was named the head coach of the Dash, it was only natural that the team selected Bock with the first pick of the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft.

However, in her first match with the Dash on April 14, 2014, Bock went down in the 23rd minute with a left knee injury. After trying to play through it, she was removed from the game, and eventually a diagnosis of a torn ACL forced her to miss the rest of the season.

She underwent surgery (her tenth due to a long list of injuries) and rehabilitation with Tony Cascio and Mark Sherrod, two players from the Houston Dynamo who tore their ACL’s around the same time.

“I’m just a competitive person, so going along with them  – everybody is different, every surgery is different, every healing process is different – so I really had to take, you know I was trying to fight through some stuff. Obviously I’ve had 9 surgeries before this and it just got to the point where I was just like, ‘I need to be smart’ and so I had people that were holding me back,” says Bock. (Keeper Notes)

Now over a year later, Bock is back at it as the Dash are 2-2-4.

“It feels great to play again. Anyone who has gone through an injury, especially an ACL injury, knows it’s a long recovery,” Bock said. “It just feels good to be running with my teammates again.”

Aside from placing her faith entirely on the process of surgery and rehab, Bock leaned heavily on her faith in a deeper power.

She posted this just a day after the injury occurred:

Bock’s goals not only include winning a league title with the Dash, but playing in a World Cup and the Olympics. That’s why coming back from her knee injury was so important to her.

“I wanted to give it everything and not have any regrets saying I gave up,” Bock said of her rehab. “I have it in my heart, and my faith has also gotten me through the difficult times.”

Religion is a huge part of Bock’s life, and she prides herself on living by the bible verse Proverbs 3:5-6:

“Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Off the field, she’s called to serve others whether it’s walking to end Alzheimer’s (her grandfather died of the disease), or participating in Athletes For Hope events, which helps athletes connect with charitable causes.


‏
‏”Its such a great way to give back and know that you can use your profession to give back and hopefully change someone’s life,” Bock said.

Whether making her knee, her community, or her faith stronger, Bock is invested in making the world a better place to live in.