T’ara Ceasar back in home state, looking for continued success with Florida Gators
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sooner or later, every athlete will hit a bump in the road that slams them into a wall. The crash impedes their progression, derails their trajectory to stardom and leaves them in profound agony. The realization that their sporting career could end in a flash from a unfortunate injury adds a thicker layer of pressure to the pain. The toll is not just physical, it weighs down mentally too. This was the case for Panama City, Florida native and Florida Gators’ women’s volleyball star T’ara Ceasar.
Ceasar was the main centerpiece on the volleyball court at A. Crawley Mosley High School and received scholarships from all over the country. Her ambition and joy were snatched away when she suffered an ACL injury in a match against St. Benedict on the second day of the 33rd Annual Juanita Boddie Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. She thought that injury would end her career and evaporate her hopes of being an athletic superstar.
But once the devastation dissipated, T’ara Ceasar was determined to get back on the court. She had to go through the routine rigmarole of surgery, recovery and rehabilitation while also getting to start her college life away from home at the University of Georgia. While there, Ceasar relied heavily on her Bulldogs coaches and teammates through her difficult rehab.
Ceasar valued the tremendous support system at Georgia which enabled her to breakout as a star player. It earned her opportunities to train and play with Team USA at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in 2018. After four years since the injury, she reflected on her incredible comeback.
“It’s been pretty, I think, amazing,” Ceasar said. “I wouldn’t have used that word a few years ago, but I think to just see my fears from before I know them, that the personal ones, and then just seeing how I’ve overcome them as well, as far as just say, learning to jump again, even learning to walk again.”
This season, Ceasar is a returning senior at her beloved college. She made the switch from Georgia to the University of Florida out of love for where she grew up. It’s her way of saying that she wanted to come back home and show her appreciation.
“I think one thing with me is I just realized I wanted to come closer to home. I think I’ve always wanted to represent my state,” she said. “Georgia was a great place and I still will always be partially a Georgia Bulldog, but I think everyone who knows me knows I always wanted to be a Florida Gator. There were other Florida schools in the process when I was looking to transfer, but I think Florida has always been it for me.”
T’ara Ceasar owes her comeback to faith. She’s a devout believer and combined with her desire to return to the court and her patience to endure what she suffered gave her this need to give back to her community by embarking wisdom on future generations, notably, to young women whom they regard Ceasar as an outstanding athlete and admirable human being.
“To know that I can help to inspire younger girls, even the ones who are from Panama City, it’s like, to me that means 10 times more, cause it’s home,” she said. “It may not be the whole worlds support, but to me, Panama City is my world, so I’m very grateful and very thankful for that.”
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