October 2024

First Game Back, School Visit, Last Monday of October

Welcome back to another edition of Dodson Diaries!

Athletic Club Bilbao is playing in the UEFA Europa League this year which is the second tier to the Champions League. We had the opportunity again to watch a match as a team. It was a great experience as always largely due to how passionate the fans are.

In this newsletter, I will be talking about my first game back, a school visit, and the last Monday of October.

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First Game Back

I remember when I asked my foot doctor when he thought I would be able to play again, and he said early October. At that time in my rehab process I thought no way, so to be able to play in the first game of the season (October 5th) meant a lot to me. I felt anxious about coming back to play because it was my first game since April and I was not sure how my ankle would respond. What helped with my anxiety about my ankle was reminding myself I made it through a full week of practice which included scrimmaging without issues. Also, I had to remind myself the only way to get back to 100% is to get going again.

Shootaround went very well for me that day. We always shoot half-court shots at the end of shootaround, and I made two (which has never happened in my whole career), so I took that as a sign that I was ready.

Since last year, a home shootaround ritual for me has been wearing this Spain shirt. When I played for the USA U17 team after the tournament was over at the hotel, we got to swap items with other teams. I decided to get this shirt. At the time it was too big for me to wear, but now it fits. I never would have thought years later I would be playing in Spain. I love wearing it because it is a constant reminder of how fortunate I am to still be playing and it helps me not be as anxious about game day.

On the bench at the start of the game, I kept thinking encouraging thoughts to not let the doubt overpower me. During the first possession of me attacking the basket, I scored and drew the foul. That gave me a lot of confidence about being back on the floor. Ultimately, we lost the game, but it was a personal win for me to be back on the court again. I ended up finishing the game with 3 points and 2 rebounds after 20 minutes of play. At times I was frustrated because I was still rusty, but I try not to be too hard on myself. There’s a quote from a book I am reading called, “Keeping the Faith Without a Religion” from a poem named “Last Night as I Was Sleeping” by Antonio Machado that I love. I put it below:

“And the golden bees

were making white combs

and sweet honey

from my old failures.”

The excerpt starts a chapter called “Trust the Imperfection.” Right now as I continue to rehab my ankle, I have to remember to welcome the imperfection because from it I will be able to be successful.

My goal for the season is 15 points and 10 rebounds which I will achieve. I just have to keep working. These next weeks and months are about patience and consistency because injuries can be humbling and take time. I remember when coming back from my stress fracture injury, someone told me that it can take two to three times the amount of time you spent out to come back fully from an injury. The first game and even now there are times when I am a step too late or not balanced on a jump shot because my ankle is still working its way back. I try not to lose sight of how far I have come. A month has passed since that first game and I continue to progress like shooting and making my first three of the season.

A new pregame ritual I have instead of meditating is repeating positive affirmations from my sports mental health app called OneAthlete. They reached out last year for me to do some promotions with them, and I got in return free access to the app. Some of my favorite affirmations are “I am unstoppable” or “I am proud of myself.” These affirmations are helping me stay centered.

School Visit

My friend Naiara works as an English teacher. This season, I had another opportunity to visit with the children at her school and they could ask my questions to practice their English. The school she is working at this year is a lot smaller with only 100 kids in total from ages 2-12. The littlest ones were adorable. When I walked into the school they were the first ones I saw. Instead of doing the morning announcements with the kids, we did an assembly outside on the playground. I liked how it was a more intimate setting and I got to interact with more of the kids in the school. Below is a video of me being introduced and some of the questions the kids asked. I was impressed with how prepared and how well they asked me the questions.

I tried to speak slowly and use words that were easier to comprehend. I hope that they can understand my answers. When they asked me how long I had been playing I could not believe how long I had been playing. It’s been 19 years now! When I was 6 years old my dad asked if I wanted to stick with basketball or soccer. At the time, I didn’t like soccer because of being outdoors and the snack of choice was orange slices (I was and am very particular about my snacks and food haha). Now here we are almost two decades later.

Afterwards, we took a group picture. Then it was time to be bombarded with autographs. It ceases to amaze me how many random objects the kids want to get signed like their shoes, shirts, wrists, water bottles, etc. Hopefully, there were not any mad parents when their kids came back from school. The autographs went on for at least 20 minutes because every kid wanted an autograph and some came back multiple times to get other things signed. I preserved until the end. The teachers felt bad for me, but I told them not to worry.

One of the boys wanted to play 1 v 1 but nowadays I don’t do anything without my ankle brace, so we compromised with shooting. Some other kids decided to join in as well. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids were enjoying the time in the sun running around the playground. I remember taking in the moment and thinking how fortunate I was to be there that day.

Last Monday of October

The Last Monday of October is an important day in Gernika. It’s a day to party and celebrate. People from out of town come to Gernika for the day. I don’t think there is a specific reason for this tradition it’s just a part of the town culture. You eat a Talo and drink Leieza a type of apple cider made with white wine. The Talo is usually filled with chorizo and wrapped in bread that is similar to a corn tortilla but more fluffy. It’s simple but delicious! There is also a farmers’ market spread throughout the city center. Unfortunately, most of the stalls were closing once I got there after practice, but some stalls that were still open had cheese, a type of donut pastry, fresh fruits, and vegetables. I enjoyed hanging out with my teammates and just soaking in the festive atmosphere that day.

Random Thoughts

This year, I have my automatic car (finally). It has made a huge difference. Driving in Bilbao or even trying to get out of our town of Gernika it is very hilly. I would be so nervous about stalling, so I never would explore. I plan on making some longer 1+ hour driving trips to San Sebastían, Vitoria, or Castro Urdiales in the future.

Finding this at the store made me laugh. Too bad I do not eat mozzarella sticks I would have bought them. What are your thoughts on this?

I was excited to find Driscoll’s in the store because it reminds me of things I buy at home. I was trying to look for the organic ones and then I realized I am in Europe they would not sell berries sprayed down with lots of pesticides and other chemicals haha. I was watching a popular overseas basketball influencer’s video named Ike Udanoh where he talked about being “Ameri-traumatized” and this is a perfect example.

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Thank you for reading my newsletter. Until next month :)