KENTWOOD, Mich. — Strength doesn't just come from how much you can lift. It also comes from within. A former college basketball player who thought she'd never touch the court again is proving that after starting her recovery journey with Power Strength Training Systems in Kentwood.
Cindy Kelley is an athlete through and through, playing multiple sports throughout her life.
"I did five sports throughout, I would say, middle school to high school," Kelley said. "From track, softball, soccer, volleyball, and then obviously, basketball."
Moving to the United States from Germany in fourth grade, basketball became her favorite sport.
That love for the game took her to the next level, playing college basketball at Western Carolina University for two years before being sidelined by a thumb injury that ended her career.
"Giving up basketball was the hardest thing I ever did, because that was my identity," Kelley said.
Moving to the Mitten years later, she found her love for the game again, through a community recreation league in Belding.
"I moved up here, stayed with some friends, then got a job. Within a week, I had a girls basketball team to play with," Kelley said. "The first thing I saw was a newspaper and had girls basketball right up in the front."
But soon after, during a physical therapy session, she would get news that would rip her from the hardwood yet again.
"He goes, your foot's like an inch and a half out. You should have knee injury. These, and two years later, I'm in ortho getting my knee scoped, and we're trying to figure out how to fix it," Kelley said.
She had five knee surgeries and a broken ankle injury over the course of a decade.
"He told me, 'No, you need to stop,'" Kelley said. "By that point, my knee was like a 65 year old at 36. It was hard. I didn't know really who I was."
Struggling with not being able to play the game she loves, everything changed in 2020, driving through my Kentwood neighborhood and seeing Power Strength Training Systems.
"It felt like somebody was actually listening," Kelley said. "I started lifting, feeling better. The pain was getting better, right? But it wasn't totally away. The beauty of Power Strength is that they meet you where you're at."
As she saw improvement in her knee, she hit the gym hard, upping her training sessions to four days a week.
Through her commitment and help from trainers, she started accomplishing goals she couldn't imagine. Like accomplishing box jumps after months of working.
After years of training her moment to hit the court seemed possible yet again when her daughter Anya's college hosted an alumni game in January.
"I started dribbling the ball, and I did a layup, and it did not hurt at all. I was like, nothing, and it looked good, and it felt good. And I was like, I think this is actually going to happen," Kelley said.
She completed her comeback with her daughter by her side.
"The announcer goes, oh, you know, basket by Kelley, assisted by her daughter, that is actually kind of surreal," Kelley said.
Kelley now wants to use her story to help inspire others.
"Life is seasons, and look at it as a season," Kelley said. "I think we shut doors way too much and say, I'll never be able to do that again. But if you ever have the opportunity look at it as a season."
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