Hawks Eye View: A view into the lives of the athletes behind the jerseys
A ribbon by definition is a long, narrow strip of fabric used especially for tying something or for decoration. For senior Blue Hawk volleyball player Kylie Hadley, a ribbon symbolized so much more. In Kylie's family, a little orange ribbon became the foundation of her family, a beacon of strength, and a symbol of hope for a better tomorrow.
"I was in 8th grade when my mom was diagnosed with M.S," stated Kylie.
Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
"The doctors told me I wouldn't be able to coach or teach anymore," stated Kylie's mom Carol Hadley. "The fear of not being able to do what I loved is what scared me the most. I was determined to prove them wrong."
At the time of Carol's diagnosis, she had many roles at Baker High School. Not only was she the head volleyball coach, but she was also an advisor and the Title English teacher.
"A lot of my eighth grade year she was on medical leave. She was at home trying to figure out what our day-to-day life would be like. It was really tough not having her at the school during that time. I was so used to her always being there," explained Kylie.
Then came a silver lining.
"I always wanted to play for my mom, ever since I was little and got to watch her coach my older sister. It was always a goal of mine, but when she was diagnosed with M.S. I wasn't sure if I would ever get that chance."
Carol decided she was going to fight back, that there was no way she would miss out on coaching her daughter. She started researching different treatment options and finally found an option that worked. Three times a week Carol would inject herself an autoimmune suppressant and slowly her vision returned and her attacks started to subside. Three months later, she was back on the Baker Spartan bench coaching. That was Kylie's freshman season, four years later Carol was still coaching her daughter and leading the Baker Spartans.
Then Kylie had another goal in mind.
"My mom is my hero. I want to be just like her, so my goal was always to go to Dickinson State and play volleyball just like my mom did," Kylie said.
"At the time, I wasn't really being recruited by Dickinson State so I decided to go to Rocky Mountain College instead. I played at Rocky for two years, and then decided it was time for me to be done with volleyball, but Coach Stanton and Coach Hartman had a different plan."
"I heard Kylie was transferring at semester to DSU but didn't want to play volleyball anymore. My first thought was 'this girl is way too good not to keep playing,'" explained head coach Jenn Hartman.
"Coach Hartman met with me and said "just give us one semester. If you hate it we will let you walk away forever, but at least give us a chance," stated Kylie.
Dickinson State helped me fall in love with the sport of volleyball again, but more importantly, it allowed me to live out a lifelong dream of being just like my mom. She was a Blue Hawk and now I am too. Every time I step on that court, I get to play for her. I just try to make her proud of me. Knowing she battled through overcoming M.S. helps me get through the tough times. She will always be the toughest Blue Hawk I know."
This past Saturday, with her mom in the stands, cheering on the Hawks. Kylie was finally able to honor her mother in a way she never could before. With an orange ribbon tied on her shoe, Kylie led the Blue Hawks to victory.
"Winning is always a rewarding feeling but winning in honor of your mom on M.S. night is an overwhelming feeling."
