Resilience = Reward: Bertrand's Schoene is Burke Bound

Shelby Schoene, a senior from Bertrand, has been a standout on the Vikings Track and Field Team. At the NSAA Championships alone, here is what she has accomplished: Freshman year: qualified in pole vault but did not place. Sophomore year: Placed 8th in pole vault and 4th in the 800. Her junior year: She was runner-up in the 800, placed 4th in the 3200, 3rd in pole vault, and 3rd in the 1600.

Schoene was poised to have another big season across all of the athletics she competes in. But at the first volleyball match of the season, she suffered an injury. "I suffered a total ACL tear in warmups during the first regular-season volleyball game on August 28th, 2025," said Shelby. She had surgery in late September and began her road to recovery.

Like so many who battle injuries, the recovery was tough. "...The main struggle throughout my rehab was the swelling and trying to get that down and controlled as I started to be able to do more things, especially as I began running. It was very mentally challenging, especially at the start, but I just kept reminding myself that everything happens for a reason. Trusting in God and reminding myself that God has a plan for everything helped me get through those hard times," added Shelby.

"There were definitely doubts, especially after my surgery, when the swelling wouldn't go down. I knew that it was going to be a very long process, and the days and months felt very slow, especially the days when even walking was a challenge..."

Of course, Shelby wanted to get back and compete, but also get back to the times she had been running at was important to her. "I was definitely very concerned because not only did I want to get back and compete, I wanted to compete and get as close to the times I was running before the injury. A big part of the process was trusting in my body, building my confidence back up and believing in myself. That all took time, especially at the start of the season when I was back but not running the times I knew I was capable of."

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And all of Shelby's hard work paid off, she is qualifying for state once again, this time in the 3200-meter run and the 800-meter run. "When I qualified for state, it made all of the frustration and hard work worth it. After my freshman year, when I qualified for state in pole vault, I set a goal for myself to qualify all four years, and after the injury, I was unsure if that was going to happen. After I qualified, it made all of those months of rehab worth it," added Shelby.

Of course, in a situation like this, you learn a lot about yourself. "Throughout this process I learned a lot about resilience and patience, before this injury I was never really forced to slow down and this injury has made me appreciate the little things even more and to be thankful for everything. Rehab taught me that staying positive is so important in every situation."