University of Georgia Athletics
You Can't Keep A Good Dog Down
October 23, 2014 | Soccer
Oct. 23, 2014
It's one thing to sustain an injury and come back from it, but it's an entirely different thing to come back from one a second time. Redshirt junior Bella Hartley has experienced more than most during her time at Georgia and throughout her soccer career. Before her freshman season, she tore her ACL, causing the Colorado native to take a medical redshirt for the 2011 season. But that was already the second knee injury for the then high school senior, who suffered the same tear a year earlier as a junior.
In 2012, her first season on the field for the Bulldogs, she had two game-winning goals coming against Furman and USF, and four total. She was also voted the team's Rookie of the Year.
In regard to her injuries and the battle back from them since, Hartley says that it is both a mental and physical battle.
"(The mental part is) hard to get over sometimes, especially doing it more than once," Hartley said.
She mentioned that it's still a challenge some days as she continues to work hard and tries to stay as healthy as possible, but the support network she has here helps her through it. The team, her parents and the UGA training staff are always there if she is frustrated or in pain. They're always ready to reassure her that she will be fine.
Now in her third full season wearing the red and black, but her first as a regular starter and the healthiest she's ever been, Hartley has realized there are major differences compared to before. It's harder on the body, because she is now able to be in the weight room twice a week in addition to practicing with the team every day with no limitations.
But after everything she has done, Hartley feels accomplished. She has improved as a player, as evidenced by her performance on the field this season. She scored her sixth career goal earlier this year vs. Furman - a bullet that will go down as one of the best Georgia goals of the season.
Thus far, Hartley's previous injuries have been giving her no trouble. A brief stint with tendonitis caused her to have surgery last year, but so far her knees haven't failed her. She requires some treatment for the tendonitis before practice, but aside from that, she is a full go on the field.
Hartley is "very happy with everything that has gone on here. I would love it here even if I wasn't playing."
For those wondering how Hartley had the strength to deal with these injuries she had this to say: "(It's) really about how much you love the sport, and it's about how much you want to keep going. Always keep your head up. If you love it, it's what you should be doing."
Hartley comments that injuries are a process, a "speed bump" and part of life. These speed bumps, however, allow you to grow. You learn from them and use that knowledge later in the future as you continue with the game. Hartley's biggest piece of advice to players who teeter on the edge of succumbing to their injuries is to stay positive. Being positive and having a good support network are keys.
Hartley attributes her success to both of those factors.
As the end of Georgia's regular season approaches, the Bulldogs host Kentucky this Sunday at 6 p.m. in their next-to-last outing and home finale. With SEC and NCAA Tournaments on the horizon, Hartley and her team are excited going into the postseason. A record of 5-2-1 in SEC play makes the Bulldogs a force to be reckoned with. Especially with No. 9 in the midfield. If two ACL injuries and the battle to stay healthy aren't able to keep her down, nothing is.
Ashleigh Shay is a sophomore from Wall, N.J., who is intending to major in public relations and also pursue a sports media certificate from UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is in her first year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend. Previous stories include:
August 28 - David Andrews (football vs. Clemson) September 4 - Carly Hamilton (cross country in Bulldog Invitational)
September 11 - Tirah Leau (volleyball in Benson Hospitality Invitational)
September 18 - Mariel Gutierrez (soccer vs. Vanderbilt)
September 25 - Toby Johnson (football vs. Tennessee)
October 2 - Emma Sonnett (soccer vs. Tennessee)
October 9 - Jared Markham (swimming & diving vs. Alabama)
October 16 - Gaby Smiley (volleyball vs. Kentucky and Tennessee)
By Ashleigh Shay
It's one thing to sustain an injury and come back from it, but it's an entirely different thing to come back from one a second time. Redshirt junior Bella Hartley has experienced more than most during her time at Georgia and throughout her soccer career. Before her freshman season, she tore her ACL, causing the Colorado native to take a medical redshirt for the 2011 season. But that was already the second knee injury for the then high school senior, who suffered the same tear a year earlier as a junior.
In 2012, her first season on the field for the Bulldogs, she had two game-winning goals coming against Furman and USF, and four total. She was also voted the team's Rookie of the Year.
In regard to her injuries and the battle back from them since, Hartley says that it is both a mental and physical battle.
"(The mental part is) hard to get over sometimes, especially doing it more than once," Hartley said.
She mentioned that it's still a challenge some days as she continues to work hard and tries to stay as healthy as possible, but the support network she has here helps her through it. The team, her parents and the UGA training staff are always there if she is frustrated or in pain. They're always ready to reassure her that she will be fine.
Now in her third full season wearing the red and black, but her first as a regular starter and the healthiest she's ever been, Hartley has realized there are major differences compared to before. It's harder on the body, because she is now able to be in the weight room twice a week in addition to practicing with the team every day with no limitations.
But after everything she has done, Hartley feels accomplished. She has improved as a player, as evidenced by her performance on the field this season. She scored her sixth career goal earlier this year vs. Furman - a bullet that will go down as one of the best Georgia goals of the season.
Thus far, Hartley's previous injuries have been giving her no trouble. A brief stint with tendonitis caused her to have surgery last year, but so far her knees haven't failed her. She requires some treatment for the tendonitis before practice, but aside from that, she is a full go on the field.
Hartley is "very happy with everything that has gone on here. I would love it here even if I wasn't playing."
For those wondering how Hartley had the strength to deal with these injuries she had this to say: "(It's) really about how much you love the sport, and it's about how much you want to keep going. Always keep your head up. If you love it, it's what you should be doing."
Hartley comments that injuries are a process, a "speed bump" and part of life. These speed bumps, however, allow you to grow. You learn from them and use that knowledge later in the future as you continue with the game. Hartley's biggest piece of advice to players who teeter on the edge of succumbing to their injuries is to stay positive. Being positive and having a good support network are keys.
Hartley attributes her success to both of those factors.
As the end of Georgia's regular season approaches, the Bulldogs host Kentucky this Sunday at 6 p.m. in their next-to-last outing and home finale. With SEC and NCAA Tournaments on the horizon, Hartley and her team are excited going into the postseason. A record of 5-2-1 in SEC play makes the Bulldogs a force to be reckoned with. Especially with No. 9 in the midfield. If two ACL injuries and the battle to stay healthy aren't able to keep her down, nothing is.
Ashleigh Shay is a sophomore from Wall, N.J., who is intending to major in public relations and also pursue a sports media certificate from UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is in her first year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend. Previous stories include:
August 28 - David Andrews (football vs. Clemson) September 4 - Carly Hamilton (cross country in Bulldog Invitational)
September 11 - Tirah Leau (volleyball in Benson Hospitality Invitational)
September 18 - Mariel Gutierrez (soccer vs. Vanderbilt)
September 25 - Toby Johnson (football vs. Tennessee)
October 2 - Emma Sonnett (soccer vs. Tennessee)
October 9 - Jared Markham (swimming & diving vs. Alabama)
October 16 - Gaby Smiley (volleyball vs. Kentucky and Tennessee)
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