Hi, my name is Riley Johnson, I am a junior at Urbana High School and soon to be a Racer, as I am committed to play D1 soccer at Murray State in Kentucky. I play outside back from my Club team (Bethesda) and ODF (Olympic Development Program) team then striker for Urbana and ECNL.
I do track, where I compete at 300 hurdles, discus, and any relay I am needed in; I have competed at indoor nationals and will be competing at outdoor nationals next month and have qualified for states for each indoor and outdoor season since my freshman year. As of now, I am the fastest 4A junior hurdler and 12th in the state in discus.
If I had to choose one word to describe myself, I would have to choose resilient, considering the beginning of my freshman year in 2016 I tore my ACL and meniscus. It resulted in surgery and a long road of recovery; a real confidence destroyer. Even with the support of my family and friends, it took me over a year to get back physically, but much longer mentally. About two months after I returned to soccer I was still scared to go 100% in games and practices for fear of injuring my knee again, but then I joined PFP and they helped me gain more strength and flexibility as well as build up the confidence to not be afraid of getting injured again.
Another example of resiliency was when I broke my foot this past December and two days after getting the boot off (which I wore for about five weeks), I went to a college camp where I received my scholarship offer to play for Murray State, then went on about two weeks later to compete at indoor states for track.
When I first started PFP, I was not my regular self. My surgery had nearly destroyed me. Even though I had completed my recover protocol, working through physical therapy and training with a personal trainer to get my knee back to playing strength, I still doubted myself. The first few months I was at PFP I hardly spoke to anyone, and make it clear I was not happy to be there and just wanted to be left alone. But then Erik started working there and he was able to help me come out of my shell and start to enjoy PFP. Erik pushed me to become the person I wanted to be – the positive, hyperactive, and goofy Riley Johnson that is now seen everywhere. I cannot than them enough, especially Erik, for helping me find myself again, to be confident in my abilities and to not be afraid of injuries because I know I can get through it and will always have people to help me through anything.
My name is Riley Johnson, and this is my Why. What’s YOUR Why?
