Roush healing up for next ride

Former Lady Hub transitioning from volleyball to equine sports

Russell Hodges
Posted 6/25/17

Katie Roush is no stranger to adversity.

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Roush healing up for next ride

Former Lady Hub transitioning from volleyball to equine sports

Posted

Katie Roush is no stranger to adversity.

A knee injury, a hip injury and a broken nose from a car accident weren’t enough to keep the former Lady Hub standout from landing a starting spot on the Kishwaukee College volleyball team her freshman year. Roush played in 33 matches throughout the 2015-16 season, recording 187 digs, 140 kills and 23 service aces.

But when she learned the college would be disbanding its volleyball program after her freshman season, she journeyed to Kentucky and began her sophomore year at Midway University.

“I didn’t know any of the girls going into my freshman year,” Roush said. “I came in as an underdog… I had to sit out during our first couple of games, and I was doing really well so that put me down… The athletic director and I were pretty close, and he sent [Midway] all my stats. I went down for a visit and I fell in love with it.”

Signing with just three weeks left of summer, Roush was the last player to join the 26-woman roster, and she was the only player from Illinois to suit up for the Eagles during the 2016-17 season. But being the new girl on campus failed to put a dent in Roush’s confidence. Instead, the fresh start fueled her competitive drive, and she went on to play in 30 games for Midway, starting in 18 of them while recording 248 digs, 161 kills and 27 service aces.

“Midway University was awesome,” Roush said. “For me there wasn’t a huge difference between the college experience and the high school experience until I went to Midway. I had to compete and I had to work my butt off every day. We had to compete for a starting spot every week, and if you showed that you weren’t playing hard, you’d sit at home and you wouldn’t get to play on the travel team.”

Roush also joined the western equine team at Midway, continuing a passion for horse riding she’s owned since she began competing in shows at the age of 10. A former top finisher at the Illinois State Fair, Roush now participates in cowboy mounted shooting, an equestrian sport where she said her skills acquired on the volleyball court have been very useful.

“It’s an awesome thing to do,” she said. “My athletic ability also helps with my hand-eye coordination in shooting a gun… I was that quiet girl in high school who was a horse freak as well. I was a freak on the court, but when I hit a horse show I was ready to go.”

A three-sport athlete at Rochelle Township High School, Roush admitted her original goal was to pursue basketball at the college level. But an injury during her sophomore year resulted in a torn ACL and a tear in her hip, and she needed multiple surgeries to repair the injuries. She missed her senior basketball season to undergo hip surgery, but her recovery allowed her to remain active in volleyball.

Unfortunately, Roush’s hip and knee woes returned this past year, and combined with some responsibilities at home, she decided to leave Midway and return to Illinois.

“Basketball was my favorite sport,” Roush said. “I never would’ve guessed I’d pick volleyball over basketball, but I did… I needed to come back home and take care of some things. I have six of my own horses and my parents were starting to get sick and tired of taking care of them on their own. I was going for an equine degree, and I didn’t know what that would get me in Illinois, so reality started to set in.”

Roush said she’s studying at Kishwaukee for now, and she said her current interests lie in the field of health, which is no surprise considering her perseverance through the many injuries she’s suffered throughout her athletic career. With over 180 physical therapy sessions under her belt, Roush said she’s still dealing with the aches and pains of playing sports at a high level, but that her achievements not only overshadow those pains, but the doubts placed upon her by others.

“I hurt every day from the sports I played,” she said. “But I told myself to keep going… When I had my ACL surgery, I was told I would never play a sport again, and I was told I would never be able to run again… I struggled really hard, but I still showed my horse and that’s what kept me going. My horses kept me positive, and I’m definitely more passionate about equine now because I want more people to know about it.”