WOODBURY — Panic came among the spectators as Ashlynn Blum hit the ground in just a regular middle school softball game, Blum didn’t think it would be her last game for 8th grade.

Blum’s seven years of softball came to a pause spring of 2024 when she suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“I was running to first and a girl cut me off in the baseline and my legs tangled,” says Blum, a freshman at Nonnewaug. “I didn’t really think of what happened because I just like hit the ground and thought it would just be a bruise, but when I got up, I couldn’t walk.”

After falling, coaches and parents rushed to her side to assist her off the field.

“I ran out to the field where Ashlynn was laying down behind first base,” says former Woodbury Middle School coach Joshua Kornblut. “I could tell right away that she was injured pretty badly, just based off of her expressions I could see the pain she felt.”

Blum was out of the game for around four months undertaking a meniscus surgery,

During her surgery they had to sew a part of her meniscus. Prior to this surgery, Blum was on crutches and had an ACE bandage around her injured part of her knee to control swelling and pain.

Post-surgery, doctors directed Blum to wear a straight-leg brace.

“If I didn’t wear it, I wouldn’t be able to play for longer,” says Blum. “So I had to make sure I did everything the doctor told me to do.”

Blum was in this brace for around 12 weeks. The first six weeks, she was able to walk with the brace locked, and then the following six weeks she was able to walk with the brace unlocked.

But even when Blum was finally cleared, she had to regain muscles after they had atrophied. Because of this, Blum has had to work twice as hard as any other athlete to get all of her muscle back for this upcoming season.

“To get back in shape I’ve been practicing a lot and going to extra training to try and get better,” said Blum.

After missing out on her spring season and summer season of softball, Blum is finally able to reunite with her team for the upcoming season.

“I am very excited to play again because I haven’t played in so long,” says Blum. “I haven’t played since my surgery.”

Blum has been itching to get back into the game. She is working to try and secure herself a varsity position on the Nonnewaug softball team.

“Once I get all of my muscles back and I become more confident,” says Blum, “I think I will get a lot more playing time than I did last year.”  

Doing everything that the doctor has directed her to do, Blum is back in the game and ready to play with the Nonnewaug Chiefs her freshman year.