Payton Dedo, a junior at Tesoro and prominent member of the varsity softball team, made a significant comeback from a knee injury. After rupturing her ACL and tearing her meniscus in three places, less than half a year later, Dedo helped team Colombia qualify for the World Cup held in Sao Paulo, Brazil after her outstanding performance during the Pan-American games.
Reflecting on her inability to play during her injury, Dedo recalls, “It was pretty hard to not compete, and that’s what I love, so not playing was tough. During the games I sat on the sidelines cheering my teammates on.” Despite this setback, Dedo continued to support her teammates and took things one day at a time.
This has led her to learn important lessons even when things were tough. Dedo notes how important the little victories are and the significance in relying on others, knowing that they’re always there for you.
After recovering from her injury, Dedo continued to play softball for Tesoro and got to expose herself to her family’s culture and represent her country. “It’s really cool to experience my culture,” Dedo continues, “softball brought me there. My grandma and my dad are from Colombia, so being able to go to the country brings me closer to them.”
Upon returning, Dedo recalls a highlight from her Pan-American games. She remembers the opening ceremony being most significant, remembering the passionate cheers from the Colombian team’s lively crowd.
Dedo expresses how her parents and two travel coaches inspire her to keep going everyday. They help her strive to do better along her softball career.
Payton’s advice for other athletes is to “just really enjoy the process. It isn’t going to last forever, give it your all.”
In the next couple months, Dedo is going to play in the World Cup in Brazil and will hopefully go on to play in the Olympics.
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