SERVPRO Athlete of the Week: Our Redeemer’s Allie Francis

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) - It all started with a “pop.”

“I started laughing because I didn’t think I broke my foot. I just sprained my ankle,” said Allie Francis, a senior at Our Redeemer’s Christian School.

Unfortunately, Francis did break her foot on that day in June.

“I was jumping over a hurdle,” said Francis, with a laugh.

Once she heard from the doctor, there was no more laughing.

“When I first was told I had to have surgery, I was a complete mess. It’s my senior year, why did this happen to me? Why me? It could have happened to anyone else, but it was me. I went to God. I prayed every single day and I just prayed that I could get back on the court and have my senior year,” said Francis.

Instead of asking, “Why me?,” Francis started asking, “Why not me?”

“She didn’t want to be a bum on the bench,” said Leah Lindquist, also a senior at ORCS.

“I put that mindset aside and kept telling myself that I would be back,” said Francis.

Francis was told that recovery would take between 12 and 16 weeks.

“I just kept telling myself, if I work hard, I’m going to be back,” said Francis.

She came back to the court in 11 weeks.

“I would say she has a servant’s heart. She knew this was going to be hard. But the Lord worked through her to use her to help Grace (Olson),” said Lindquist.

Even while on the bench, Francis continued to impact her team.

“She cheered us on and helped us out and worked hard to get back here. It shows a lot about her character,” said Lindquist.

She spent her summer training the next setter, Grace Olson.

“She showed up to every practice, she showed up to every game. She was part of the team,” said Olson, a sophomore at ORCS.

“There’s a lot of times when you’re going to be sitting on the bench not getting that starting position that you wanted. And it’s important that you can still lead. You can lead the people around you and set an example that you’re going to change your own attitude,” said Lindquist.

Francis is the perfect example.

“Everyone goes through something like this. You just have to have the mindset that you’ll be back,” said Francis.

That all started with a “pop.”

Francis says she’d like to go to school next year to study forensic psychology. The Knights are playing at the Des Lacs-Burlington midseason tournament this weekend.

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