"My “Y” is wanting to make something for myself." Blake Townsend, Professional Baseball Player, Seattle Mariners
What's Your "Y"
Interview with Blake Townsend, Professional Baseball Player, Seattle Mariners
How has your sport journey evolved?
My journey with baseball so far has been an amazing one to say the least. I started playing when I was ten years old and I was certainly never the most athletic kid around but I absolutely fell in love with the game. I’ve been lucky enough to represent Australia a few times and get a chance to play professional baseball with the Seattle Mariners which had become a childhood dream of mine. Unfortunately I suffered an injury in June 2019 which forced me to get Tommy John surgery, but I’m almost back and I’m feeling stronger and fitter than ever!
What (or who) has been your main source of motivation or inspiration?
My main source of motivation has definitely come from my parents, who like most parents of athletes were willing to sacrifice so much for me so that I was able to play the game that I love and turn it into a career. Without them I definitely wouldn’t have been able achieve any of it!
Where do you find more motivation, doubters or supporters?
I tend to find more motivation from supporters. Where I’m from in Australia we have a great community and everybody is always so excited to check in and see how I’m progressing, and it’s a really amazing feeling being able to make them proud.
What is the biggest mental challenge you've had to face in your sport and how have you conquered that?
So far I think the biggest metal challenge I’ve faced has been the rehab process that I’ve been enduring after Tommy John Surgery. There were definitely days where I felt like I might not ever play again, or that I might not be able to get back to where I was prior to injury.
It was really tough trying to see the other side of those thoughts but I can happily say that after endearing them for so long I’m feeling better than ever and am excited to get back.
What do you do to make sure you're physically and mentally prepared for competition?
Lately I’ve been working a lot on trying to strengthen every part of myself. I definitely feel like I’m fitter, stronger and in a better position to succeed than I was 6-12 months ago because of the hard work I’ve put into my workouts in the gym and working on mental toughness.
Describe your recovery strategies. How do you know if those recovery strategies are working?
At the moment because I’ve still been going through my post-surgery rehab protocols I’ve had time to look at a lot of different aspects of my recovery. Two major aspects that I feel I’ve improved on recently are my nutrition and sleeping habits.
What's Your "Y"? What keeps you going and training as hard as you do?
My “Y” is wanting to make something for myself. I’ve always been a hard worker when I’m passionate about something - Baseball is no exception. I want to push myself as hard as I can to try to become the best version of myself possible and baseball is a great medium to do that in.
Where do you see yourself as an athlete in 5 years?
An obvious answer would be that I’d like to be in the big leagues in five years, but I’d also like to use my platform as an athlete to help others. I’d love to be in a position to give back to the community and help other people and I think athletes have a great opportunity to do that.
What is your favorite quote?
“Greatness is what happens when you relentlessly push yourself to continuously create a better you.”- Edmond Mbiaka
Tell us about your experience with YOLKED.
I’m absolutely loving YOLKED! Gyms just opened up where I live so now that my workouts have been back to normal I’m definitely seeing results faster than I’ve seen in the past! I’m feeling super strong and am moving more weight than I have before.