Jacob Luthi is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com 

A dive, a defensive play in volleyball, almost ended Chandler High School student Josephine Mayer’s chance at playing at the highest level for the remainder of her high school career.

As a sophomore during her JV season, Mayer, regularly known as Josie, was excited for the opportunity to practice with the varsity team on a Saturday morning in October 2020.  

What happened next not only changed the trajectory of her season, but the following two years as well. 

“I went and dove for a ball,” Mayer said. “Everything went black and I was kind of confused, because I felt a pain in my shoulder and it radiated through my body.” 

What followed was a series of events over a year and a half, helpful yet temporary, that focused on finding a cure for the pain. Despite countless efforts, nothing seemed to provide a long-term solution. 

“I would tape up my shoulder as much as I could,” Mayer said. “I would bring Icy Hot and Biofreeze, and everything I could to numb it. I was just trying to do everything I could to stabilize it and make it as normal as I could.” 

When topical treatments didn’t provide an answer, physical therapy and steroid injection shots at the discretion of a doctor were the next best options. 

Frustration sank in and a dark cloud was forming over the sport Mayer loves. The joy of playing was beginning to cease because of the burden that accompanied each swing. 

“I had been doing all this physical therapy and getting these different shots,” Mayer said. “I was being told all these different exercises to do and having it maybe work for like a week, and then it all of a sudden came back. I knew that wasn't normal, and I was hoping it wasn't normal. 

Volleyball has encompassed Mayer’s life for years now. Not only was she competing for her school in indoor volleyball, but she excelled in beach volleyball and previously played for various club teams as well. 

As an outside hitter, a position known for providing her team with points through high-powered kills, a healthy shoulder was vital to Mayer’s performance. 

In her junior year and as a new member of the varsity team, the pain continued to pester Mayer despite her desire to continue playing. 

“Her shoulder kept getting worse and worse, and it was prohibiting her from being the best version of herself,” JV coach and varsity assistant coach Tracey Rodarte said. 

Many people were unaware of how much pain Mayer was in, but a mother’s intuition and observation, however, noticed how much the injury was beginning to affect her daughter. 

“Josie is a very strong kid,” Mayer’s mother Deb Mayer said. “ She doesn't wear her emotions on the outside. There were a couple of times where she was in so much pain that she had tears in her eyes, which is not common for her.” 

A solution came when the Mayer family sought a second opinion on the injury. When an injection in a different location of the shoulder failed, surgery was the next course of action. 

Despite the fear of going under anesthesia, or much worse, the surgery being unsuccessful, Mayer was glad to finally have an answer. A year and a half of trial and error was finally coming to an end. 

“She (Josie) gave the doctor her timeline of when senior season started,” Deb said. “He squeezed her in to have her back for senior season.” 

An acromioplasty, or surgery focused on shaving away parts of a bone to give the muscles room to move, was performed on Mayer in April 2022. Scar tissue that had developed over the years was shaved off as well. 

The good news, with the right patience and training, she would be able to start game one of senior year. The bad news, she would have to wear an arm sling to prom. 

It was the determination to play in her senior year that ignited Mayer’s will to get back to the court as quickly as possible. She was tired of being on the sidelines, and wanted to be an asset to her team. 

The road to recovery was a mixture of rest and physical therapy. Mayer had to strengthen the muscles in her arm and shoulder before she could even think of hitting a volleyball again, but that was the only goal she had in mind. 

Josie Mayer poses with her parents before prom. (Photo courtesy of Deb Mayer) 

“We were kind of playing it by ear depending on how physical therapy went,” Mayer said. “But he (the doctor) had said three months and I'm stubborn and I was like ‘Alright, tell me three. I'll do it in two.’”

Despite not being able to use her arm, Mayer focused on elements she could control. Going to the gym and working out her leg muscles helped Mayer gain strength that was necessary for jumping come tryouts. 

After a couple months of physical therapy and pushing herself to begin to trust her shoulder’s power again, Mayer was ready to begin hitting the volleyball. 

Recovery, however, like most things in life, is not linear. This was true for Mayer, especially during the first few months returning to the court. 

Despite knowing her shoulder had healed, moments of hesitation and frustration entered Mayer’s mind. 

Noticing herself doing things differently to take pressure off the shoulder, pulling back on the power of her kills or thoughts of letting her team down were all mental components of an otherwise physical recovery. 

The last piece was finding the courage to dive again. Knowing it was the one thing that injured her shoulder, Mayer knew it would be the hardest to overcome. 

“I remember how it went. It was the worst dive that I have ever had,” Mayer said, recalling her first dive back from injury. “I went to my knees, and then I kind of just fell down. My coach was like ‘Hey, that's step one!’, and then slowly I became more comfortable with it.” 

Now, in her second and last year of varsity, Mayer is a leader of her volleyball team. Not just because of her seniority or athletic ability, but through the example of the fight she showed through the grimness of injury. 

“She's not an in-your-face leader,” Rodarte said. “She's always just been kind of the quiet leader, and people follow that lead. She leads by example.”

The competitive spirit is still alive in Mayer, but being out on the court is a win in itself. 

Where she would once get really down on herself for a loss or a bad play, Mayer now reminds herself of not only how much improvement she’s made, but how much potential she still has. 

Her mother has seen this potential and is reminded every day of how much her daughter went through to get on the other side of the injury both a stronger athlete and person. 

“You know, she did all this while maintaining A's and B's in school and National Honor Society and working up until surgery time,” Deb said. “Yeah, it's kind of hard to say how proud I am of her. I am in so many different ways.” 

A simple dive could have ended Mayer’s chance to play her senior year. Instead, it provided her with a new start. 

“I would say it’s a gift,” Mayer said. “It might be bad in the moment, and it might take weeks or months or years to get back to 100%, but once you do it is all worth it. It’s a restart button.”