Lubcke hopes concussion journey creates awareness

Sam Lubcke has been through more in the past 15 months than she would wish on her worst enemy after suffering a third concussion and while she's grateful to be back working and playing basketball, she urges the sport to take concussions more seriously.

Being back on the basketball court, or even back in the classroom teaching, is something that Lubcke will never take for granted again because there was a very real chance she would never be able to do either again.

That was after she suffered a nasty concussion on March 31 last year when playing in the NBL1 West for the East Perth Eagles in the first game of the 2023 season where she had a significant impact with 23 points, four rebounds and two assists in the one-point win.

It was her first game for the Eagles but she had no idea what would lie ahead after she took a nasty fall on her head after going up for a layup.

She did come back to play a game a couple of weeks later, and even played well with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but the symptoms from that concussion wouldn’t go away and were only continuing to mount.

Even though Lubcke returned for the last two games of the 2023 regular season, she knew she still wasn’t close to being right. The journey to now have returned to the court with the Eagles this NBL1 West season as of two weeks ago is something that was anything but guaranteed.

Not only was it not guaranteed, but Lubcke was flat out told that the best way to deal with the concussion symptoms was to avoid triggers – which playing basketball and being a primary school teacher were right up the top of the list of.

That took Lubcke to a dark place because she has been playing basketball since she was four years of age and has made quite the career out of it including playing college basketball at both Southern Idaho and Utah Valley, playing in Turkey and France professionally, and now settling in Western Australia.

Lubcke is from the South Australian town of Murray Bridge, but has now settled in WA which started with a stint at the Willetton Tigers where she was a key part of the 2021 championship and named to the All-First Team that year and led the league in scoring with 25.1 points a game.

However, at just 27 years of age, it appeared a real chance her basketball career was over, the same with her teaching career and it put her in a dark place where there were times she couldn’t see a way out of.

Fast forward to now, though, and Lubcke is feeling a lot better and so much so that she's back playing basketball, she's back teaching and it was working with concussion specialist physiotherapist Alex Ring she gives a lot of that credit to.

Getting back to playing

Now that Lubcke is back playing as of the last two games with the Eagles, she's ever so grateful to be out there and doesn’t have those same pressures to perform that she might have previously put on herself.

"My expectations are different, right now I'm happy being back on court period. Every individual workout, every team training, every game, I'm working at getting back to my best," Lubcke said.

"Since I started playing basketball at the age of four, a basketball court is where I've always felt most at home. It's a huge part of my identity and who I am, so being back on court gives me a sense of comfort, joy, gratitude and sense of self that only a basketball court can do."

Remembering March 31, 2023

Lubcke had suffered two concussions previously, but it was what happened in that first game of the season last year against Perry Lakes that will stick with her now for the rest of her life.

That fall when going up for the layup led to a whole chain of events that quite literally could have ended her life. Lubcke has no trouble admitting to that now because she wants to raise the awareness of the concussion problem in basketball.

She was left with a whole host of questions while dealing with how she was feeling on the back of that third concussions he suffered.

"The 31st March 2023 is a date that I will never forget. A simple layup turned into a life-altering moment when I was knocked mid-air and landed directly on my head, marking my third concussion," Lubcke said.

"The journey since then has been filled with challenges and life lessons I never anticipated. Daily headaches, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, dizziness, concussion induced depression and suicidal ideation, and severe fatigue were just some of the symptoms I had and continue to have.

"Every day brought a set of challenges and obstacles. I struggled with wondering if I would ever live without a headache again? If I would have to rest more than live my life? If I would ever return to normal? And how long it would take to recover?"

Rocky road to recovery

There were times along the next several months where Lubcke felt she was starting to feel better. That's why she did come back to play those last two games of the 2023 season with the Eagles.

However, the recovery soon hit a brick wall and the advice was that she needed to avoid anything in her life that involved much movement, noise, light or exertion.

Not only did that rule out basketball, but also teaching but the work she did with Alex Ring has changed her life, and got her back to where she is now.

"Initially, I was a patient at the state head injury unit (SHIU) and after six to eight months, my recovery had plateaued and their advice was to adjust my lifestyle to reduce my concussion symptoms, meaning no basketball," Lubcke said.

"This was shattering, but I'm stubborn so I didn't accept this and I went to find a second opinion, that's when I met Alex Ring, a private physio who specialised in concussions. Together we slowly but surely made progress.

"I realised I had to listen to my brain and symptoms and pushing myself was only relaying my recovery. It was a very long process, and I still am not back to how I was 18 months ago, but I'm at place where I can teach fulltime and play basketball so I'm grateful."

Drawing attention to concussion problem

While Lubcke looks at the focus put on concussions by major sporting leagues like the AFL and NFL along with the rugby codes, she does feel like basketball has a long way to go with it and she hopes her story might help bring that to light.

"In basketball, I feel concussions need to be taken more seriously. It's not enough to say no games for 14 days after a concussion, every brain and every hit is unique and recovery time varies extensively," Lubcke said.

"Unlike visible injuries, concussions can be harder to diagnose and manage, but they can have significant long-term effects on a player's health and wellbeing. It's crucial that we implement - and enforce - a firm head injury policy to address this issue.

"This includes comprehensive education for players and coaches, rigorous assessment protocols, and a cautious approach to returning to play. Ensuring these measures are in place will help protect the health and safety of all athletes and emphasise the importance of treating head injuries with the gravity they deserve."

Surviving the past 18 months

Going back to March last year and Lubcke was in a happy place with her life. She had a partner she couldn’t be happier with, she was excited to start her basketball journey at the Eagles and was embracing life as a primary school teacher.

She wasn’t on the lookout to completely need to change the way she lives, but that's exactly what happened because of the concussion and she knows it's not behind her.

Just because she has progressed to the point where she has a lot of her life back, Lubcke still needs to deal with not setting off the concussion symptoms as much as possible every day.

"This last 18 months has been a huge challenge, every day was a struggle. For both myself and those around me. My partner, Luke, has been a huge blessing and has been unbelievably supportive," Lubcke said.

"It's been really tough on both of us. Basketball and exercise has always been self-care activities for me, so not being able to do these had a huge effect on my mental health, and constant headaches and noise sensitivity had a huge effect on my ability to socialise.

"I started doing yoga, art, and playing the piano as a way to feel productive and at peace with myself and the situation. But it's been really hard to accept this new version of my life, where I need to rest more and sleep more, but I'm slowly acknowledging the importance of prioritising yourself, your health both physical and mental."

Getting back with the Eagles

Just as Lubcke was starting her life at the Eagles at the beginning of the 2023 season, it was taken away from her but if she was going to get back to playing, it was always going to be at East Perth.

She's created some close friendships with members of the team and is grateful to be back playing with them and to help in the playoff push now that she is back on the court especially forming a potent front court alongside Laci Hawthorne and Mary Baskerville.

"Some of my best friends are on my team, and they've supported me over the last 1.5 years. So I'm externally grateful to them for this," she said.

"I believe in our team's potential and the talent we have. We've faced some challenges, but we've also shown glimpses of what we're capable of. If we can stay focused, keep improving, and play to our strengths, I'm confident we can make a strong push for the playoffs - that's still our goal."

Life away from basketball

While a South Australian at heart, Lubcke feels well and truly at home now in Perth and can't see wanting that to change any time soon while also being thankful to be back teaching after having that taken away from her.

"Last year was tough. I'm a primary school teacher, and the unpredictability, noise and cognitive load of teaching was too much," Lubcke said.

"I couldn't work for a whole term, and then worked up from working half days a couple days a week, to part time to full time. I'm now back full time and loving teaching my 3/4 class at West Morley Primary School."