From The Court to the Clinic

There’s a love for basketball that can only be developed by playing it. By experiencing the ups and downs, the difficulty of properly hedging a screen, and the joy in making the right pass at the right time.

It imbues you with a different kind of passion. A lived in appreciation that draws you to the game, if not to be a part of it, then to at least be around it.

Bleike Staten was one of the many people with the kind of sharpened drive that keeps you out on concrete courts through the drizzling rain and beating sun. From his days on the AAU circuit to his time with the Vacaville Bulldogs, Bleike gave the game all he had, even in times where it felt difficult to do so.

“I loved it for sure. I think I just enjoyed playing basketball, I just liked how it felt to shoot. Sometimes it was frustrating, but I always came back to it.”

It began like it does for so many people, as a childlike interest. Bleike saw the kids on the playground playing the sport, he heard his dad talk about the greats, and he routinely caught glimpse of the college and pro games on the TV in his apartment. Before he understood the game, he was drawn to it.

“It was all around me growing up, especially being near the Bay Area.”

His playing career gave him tons of memories and handfuls of lessons, but eventually it came to an end. He knew he wanted to stay near the game, but he wasn’t sure how. 

That’s when he heard about the exercise science major, and having dealt with knee and ankle injuries himself, his interest was piqued.

It was a tentative pick at first. Something he could see himself pursuing, but not something he was fully ready to commit to. Then again, who's ready to commit to anything at 18.

But the more he studied the subject, the more he saw a future in it. He was enamored with the hidden science behind the game. The ins and outs of injuries, the secrets fueling high level performers. Before he knew it, he found himself talking to his friends about the specifics of recent injuries to high profile NBA players, giving them rough timelines before the articles could be the next day.

“Obviously I’m not a doctor, so I couldn’t really give them exact timelines, but I could give some clarity. It was fun, and cool to see my studies apply to a conversation.”

With each class, his confidence in his selection grew. Of course there were bumps along the way, no academic career is unblemished, but he wasn’t dreading lectures or avoiding homework. It was integrating into his life in a way that wasn’t quite seamless, but it wasn’t obstructive either. It fit naturally.

But learning in the classroom and experiencing your field in action are two different things. Internships were around the corner, and Bleike knew it, but those kind of breaks in normalcy spark anxiety, and he wasn’t immune.

“It wasn’t just the process of finding one, that wasn’t easy either though. I think I was worried about what it would be like when I got there. How people would act, whether it would be boring. You know, I just was worried it wouldn’t be what I expected.”

Eventually an opportunity popped up that aligned with his location, his curriculum, and his career goals. Solano Sports Physical Therapy. Only a 10 minute drive from his campus at Sacramento State, and filled with the kind of people he had grown up around.

His first couple days were filled with the kind of angst that accompanies a first anything, but he settled in quickly. In part because of the content of the internship. 

“It’s been really informative. With this being my first step into the field I’ve learned a lot. There’s been a lot of not only memorizing the workouts and stretches but also learning how to teach people. You think you know what a workout is and how to do it until you’re asked to teach it to someone.” 

Beyond the day to day intricacies of assisting athletes through their recoveries and workouts, there’s the mental aspect of it. The balance of emotions, the journey of rehabilitation. It isn’t always for the athletes. Some days are tougher than others, but Bleike knows what that’s like. He’s been through it.

“Some days, dealing with injuries, people can come in a little down, but I get it. I dealt with injuries when I played, I get the frustration. I don’t think you can fix it for them, but staying consistent and upbeat helps, so I try to do that.”

Supporting the people playing in the same shoes he used to wear is fulfilling, more fulfilling than he expected it to be. 

“Yeah, it definitely feels good. It feels good to be around sports, to help people in their athletic goals.”

For a lot of us that grow up passionate about putting a ball into a hoop or a puck into a net, it can be difficult to transition. Difficult to untie those sneakers and hang them up, but you can’t stop the sun from setting. The good news is it will rise again tomorrow. 

Bleike didn’t know what he wanted to do when he left highschool. He wasn’t sure what subject he gravitated toward most, or what field would best suit him. But he knew he loved sports.

He knew he enjoyed the process of improvement and the quest of competition. The cycle of striving, falling, and then learning how to strive again. 

Like 99% of amateur athletes, his days of suiting up in locker rooms and running out in front of fans eventually came to an end, but his passion wasn’t put out. It kept burning, and instead of dampening it, he harnessed it.

He redirected his energy into a new medium, a new arena that could give him the stability he needed as an adult, and the joy he found on the court. 

“I don’t know if I grew up wanting to be in this field, but I’m glad I am.”

Not many of us do grow up dreaming of the job we eventually hold, but good dreams aren’t stagnant, they grow with the person. 

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a power ranger. Then one day, I learned that wouldn’t be possible. I didn’t fit the size profile. So I put away my plastic mask and I picked up a pen. If I couldn’t be a part of the stories I loved, maybe I could write some that someone else loved.

I think that kind of adaptation and redirection has a kind of grounded beauty to it. A stoic maturation that more people should admire. And in the case of Bleike Staten, it’s on full display.