Injury leads Kalama graduate to new career goal

Kalama High School graduate Delaney Rinard spent the first three years of high school as a multi-sport athlete, but an injury from a soccer tournament the summer before her senior year forced her to put her playing on pause.

"That was pretty detrimental to me, because I've always been in sports," Rinard said.

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However, she remained involved in her varsity soccer, basketball and softball teams by providing off-the-field assistance her senior year.

The experience also helped her discover an interest in physical therapy, and she now plans to attend Washington State University Pullman and major in kinesiology. Once she graduates, she hopes to work as a physical therapist.

As a Running Start student, Rinard will be able to transfer in with college credit and start at WSU as a junior. Running Start allows high school students to take college classes in order to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's degree simultaneously.

Delaney Rinard

Kalama High School graduate Delaney Rinard played varsity soccer, basketball and softball. After tearing her ACL in a soccer tournament, she discovered an interest in physical therapy.

Learning from injuries

Rinard has played varsity softball since eighth grade, varsity soccer since ninth grade and varsity basketball since 10th grade, she said. In that time, the soccer team placed at state twice, and the softball and basketball teams both made it to districts.

She was set to continue playing her senior year, but tore her ACL during a soccer tournament last summer. She had to get surgery in October, followed by rehab at PT Northwest in Woodland.

Though the injury prevented her from playing, she acted as manager for the soccer team, kept the scorebook for the basketball team and helped out in the dugout for the softball team. She was also able to bat for a short time in her last softball game of the season, she said.

She doesn't plan to play sports competitively in college, but said she might be open to joining an intermural team or playing in an adult league later in life.

"I should be able to as long as I'm safe about it and don't do anything too strenuous so that I tear my ACL again," she said.

Before her injury, she didn't have a set career goal, but her experience with physical therapy led her to become interested in the field. Her physical therapist had suffered a similar injury and went through his own physical therapy in the past, which showed her the importance of having personal experience with the process, she said.

"Knowing that he went through something so similar to me, that was really, really comforting," she said. "It really helped me settle in, because it can be scary to go."

Rinard said she doesn't have a specific focus in mind yet. She could be interested in working with athletes, which would provide the option of transitioning to athletic training in the future, but said she is open to anything.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 12:44 PM.