Welcome to #TIGERTALK – a SweetwaterNOW exclusive series where Rock Springs High School Tigers inspire our community by telling their stories in their own words.
My name is Luke Tate and I’m a senior basketball player at Rock Springs High School. I have played basketball and football my entire life. Sports have and will always be my first love. I played two years of high school football and have been involved with and played for the basketball team all four years. Unfortunately, due to injuries, my sports’ career has changed, but I’m grateful for these life-changing experiences.
I have played sports and loved them from the time I could first walk. I give a lot, if not all, of that credit to my dad who passed his love of sports to me. He also has coached and helped my athletic development my whole life, which I will forever be grateful for. I also want to thank my Aunt Laurie for the love of baseball and the New York Yankees. I played basketball, baseball, and football all the way through junior high. Youth sports are still some of my favorite memories to date. I will always remember playing travel baseball, AAU basketball, and the Vegas tournament we won with our all-star football team. I will always be proud of my senior class’ football and basketball team, regardless of the record, because I know the work that was put in.
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My freshman year was under Coach Lenhart. He really helped me gain confidence at the quarterback position and develop as an athlete. This season we were able to dominate the freshman league. Unfortunately, a game before the freshman playoffs started, I tore my ACL against Star Valley. I rolled out right, got hit and immediately felt a pop. After receiving confirmation from the doctor, I was devastated. With the upcoming surgery I would have to miss out on my freshman basketball season, and nine months of all sports. I had the surgery and worked hard at rehab. I owe a huge thanks to my cousin Ryan Holden and the people at Rocky Mountain Physical Therapy for helping me return back to sports. I chose to manage our freshman basketball team that year so I could still support my closest friends and be around basketball. I made it to every game that year while also attending therapy three times a week. I also would like to thank our coaching staff that year for keeping me involved with the team. Especially Braxton and Bill Rosette and Blaine Christensen who were there for me at all times. Our freshmen team finished 4th that year and I could finally look forward to playing again.
With the start of my sophomore season, I was determined to make a comeback and get back to my old self. I worked tirelessly that summer to make up for the missed time in both sports. I worked hard to return to football, and I didn’t miss a summer work out. With all the preparation I put in, I was excited to backup varsity and start JV at the quarterback position. Along with this I couldn’t wait to return to basketball and hopefully set myself up for a future in college sports. Football season started and the second game of the season I tore the same ACL for a second time in 10 months. I have never felt so flattened in my life. It felt like all the hard work I had put in was a waste, and that I’m back to square one. This time the obstacle was even bigger. With this I knew that my football career was over. I will forever be thankful for the teammates I got to play with and the lessons the sport taught me. I knew that I didn’t want to miss another basketball season and after a conversation with my doctor he said it would be possible to play with a torn ACL. I was hungry for basketball and decided that was the best choice. I worked as hard as I could that year and was able to be one of three underclassmen to practice with varsity. I give all glory to God for helping me play this season through all the tweaks and pain. After this season I was satisfied with my ability to play with my current condition. I decided that I could go one more year playing like this without surgery and got prepared for summer ball.
Going into that summer I began to tweak my knee more commonly and harder. I made it through the summer playing through the pain. I was begging to become more confident in my abilities to contribute at a varsity level the upcoming season. Unfortunately In an open gym I tweaked my knee in a way that felt different than before. I went to see the doctor. After the MRI he told me that It was one the biggest tears in a meniscus that he has seen. This was the third time I blew out my knee in three consecutive years. I truly was heartbroken and done. At first, I didn’t plan on being a part of the team at all that year. Thankfully my teammates and coaches convinced me to still be with the guys that year. Being around them and having a community really helped me mentally and physically push through. After getting the surgery and receiving some therapy I went back to being a manager. Being a manager helped me learn how to be a servant leader and also made my faith grow exponentially. For three months following the surgery I thought that I would never play basketball again. Coach Spence had a talk with me about it and really helped me change my mind. Coach Spence is an amazing coach, but he is an even better person. Thanks to him, I began my work on returning to my sport. Not only for myself but also for my teammates, family, and coaches. I worked myself to exhaustion in P.T. and put up shots nearly every day. I am thankful for Coach Justinak especially for getting me in on the shooting machine and helping me regain my confidence in athletics. She spent hours helping me work and get better at basketball. I will never forget it or the positive impact she has had on my life.
Through all this I was able to return to basketball for one last year. Although I knew I would no longer have the opportunity to continue playing basketball in college, I wasn’t disappointed. The lessons I learned over the years of battling my knee were the most valuable lessons I have ever learned in my life. This adversity not only made me stronger but also more compassionate and kind. I also saw immense growth in my spiritual life through these tribulations. I was able to play in some fall league basketball games. We also got to play in a tournament with Coach Ethan Thomas, who our whole senior class will always look up to. Our high school basketball season was about to start. I wouldn’t want to play this season with any other team or group of seniors in the nation. We have played together our whole lives and share memories I will never forget. This season we have seen some ups and downs, not only individually, but also as a team. Through this we have put together a solid record and I believe we are still yet to play our best basketball. Although you probably don’t know me from my stats or on court performances, I have worked to be a positive force on the bench, on the court and play my role. One thing we excel at is accepting our roles and not playing selfish basketball. With the upcoming regional tournament, I ask for your continued support. We know what we have in our locker room and expect a deep postseason. As we pursue a late season run and putting one next to 1976, I hope you all will cheer us on.
After this season, I will be attending the University of Oregon to major in sports business and journalism. Although I won’t be able to participate in collegiate athletics, I still want to be a part of and around sports for the rest of my life.
Through the successes, the failures, and the injuries I have learned so much from sports. To me sports will always be so much more than a game. They are truly where my passion resides. I have become more resilient, mentally stronger, and a better teammate through my recoveries and career. These things I wouldn’t change for the world. I would like to thank Coach Padilla and all my coaches who helped shape my athletic career. Also, my mom for her constant, unwavering support. Along with this all of my teammates especially Taz Cortez, Elias Griffen, Syvon Thomas, Teague Powell, Brandon Gomez, Karsten Shassetz, and Phoenix Richins. Reluctantly I will also thank my little brothers Ben and Tristan. Most of all I would like to thank Jesus Christ who is always good.
I will always be a Tiger till I die. GO TIGERS!
-Luke Tate
