Thorny Circumstances Gonzaga Prep Star Approaching Full Speed Following Knee Injury

Dani Thorn should be easy to spot on a soccer field this fall.

Not because the Gonzaga Prep senior wears a high-tech brace on her left knee. Not because she is still among the fastest players in the Greater Spokane League. And not because she’s likely to have the ball with three defenders closing in on her whenever she’s around the opponent’s goal.

The reason Thorn is so easy to pick out is her 10,000-watt smile.

“You don’t realize how much you love being a player until you can’t play any more,” Thorn said after a recent practice. “Now I know I want to go out and play. Before I wasn’t sure, I was a little burned out. Now, it seems I can’t get enough.

“It’s so amazing, I can’t even explain it. When I hurt my knee … it took me awhile to not feel sorry for myself. It’s the best feeling to be able to play again. There’s no words to describe it.”

It was the third game of her junior season when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament and partially tore the medial cruciate ligament in her left knee. She returned to limited action in June in both soccer and basketball but is just now competing with confidence.

“She’s getting very close,” Prep coach Christian Birrer said. “She’s creeping up there. She’s playing really well right now. It’s great to have her back. One thing I have seen is she really appreciates it right now. When you’re a gifted player, sometimes it’s hard to appreciate (the game). It will be very exciting to watch her play, she’s so happy to be out there.”

And that’s good news for the Bullpups, who finished second to Mead in the GSL race the last couple of years.

“She has two big assets,” Birrer said. “One is that she’s fast. She’s still our fastest player even after her injury.

“Her other asset is that she’s a goal-scorer. A lot of girls can shoot on goal, but to actually finish, that’s something you’re born with. She finds ways to score.”

Last fall, Thorn attended Bullpups games in a wheelchair and found herself begging, critiquing and cajoling her teammates. While she was convinced they should be doing things the way she would have, she learned a lot by watching others, leading her to say a serious knee injury was a bad news-good news situation.

When she first returned to the field, she was a “frustrated brat” because she struggled, but as the rust was scraped away, she discovered a new and improved player.

“Now, I realize in a lot of ways I’m better, I got rid of bad habits watching others play,” she said.

She also plans to play basketball one last season.

“Being 5-4 is not that great for basketball,” she said. “I love it, even if it’s not my strong sport.”

First, though, it’s soccer, where hopefully, a good season will lead to more.

“When we have her, she scores a ton of goals,” Birrer said. “She’s a very valuable part of the team, not only for scoring goals but for her leadership.”

Thorn has been inspired by former Mead player Kim Stiles, who blew out a knee in basketball and didn’t hit full strength until late in her senior year. Stiles still earned a scholarship to the University of Portland and played in the NCAA championship game last fall.

“I know I’m healthy. I want to prove it to everyone else,” Thorn said. “I want to prove I can come back from something this bad and be as good, even better, than before. I don’t want to be satisfied with what I’ve done. I always want to go to be better.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GSL SOCCER Defending league champion: Mead All-league returners: First team Defenders Sarah Gibel (LC) and Missy Strasberg (M); midfielders Lisa Bradley (GP), Jessica Fransen (LC) and Mariah McConnaughey (F); forwards Katie Carpenter (CV) and Sara Struefert (U). Second-team - Defenders Katie Brooks (CV) and Erin Moore (M); midfielders Michele Caputo (GP), Shea Donaldson (CV) and Katrina Mortin (M); forwards Megan Cummings (F) and Kelli Leaf (M). Openers: Saturday: Deer Park at Shadle Park and Eisenhower at Rogers. Wednesday: Ferris vs. LC at Hart Field and Mead at G-Prep, 4 p.m., NC at Shadle Park and CV at West Valley, 5 p.m. and Rogers at U-Hi, 7 p.m. All non-league games. First league games: Monday, Sept. 30. Postseason venues: Highest seeds have home games until quarterfinals, scheduled for a Big Nine site unless two GSL teams are involved. State is at Shoreline Stadium in Edmonds. Changes: Teams only play through the league once. Four additional games against league members are non-league games, and teams can schedule as many as four outside games. Gonzaga Prep is going to the West Side to meet AAA power Bellarmine Prep and AA power Gig Harbor. Ferris and LC will play Big Nine power Kamiakin. New coach: Mark Kiver, NC; Robin Crane, Ferris. Predicted finish: Mead, Ferris, G-Prep, U-Hi, LC, CV, SP, Rogers, NC.