Everyone knows how dangerous sports can be, you could tear a muscle, pop a blood vessel, or worse, break a bone.
But for athletes, it’s all about the game and the passion that you have for the sport that pushes you to the literal breaking point.
While some athletes may value their health over the outcome of a game or practice, some are willing to put their body on the line if it means winning the game.
Students play nearly every sport. Football, swim, basketball, volleyball, golf, etc. And when a student tries out for said sport, they are putting their bodies in harm’s way to an extent. And putting their body on the line can show their dedication to the sport they are trying to get into.
There is no guarantee that a student will never experience an injury while playing a sport.
While many believe that getting injured is a rare occurrence it happens more often than you think.
According to a study found in the Journal of Athletic Training around 30% of all student athletes get injured every year
But the most important thing is that, not all injuries are the same. Hurting yourself while playing is physically painful.
But another challenge injured players must face is the mental struggle that follows the injury.
To some the road to mental recovery can be more difficult than the physical one. Healing a mental wound is much more complicated than a physical.
You don’t just go the athletic trainer to get better the process of mental recovery is much more delicate and complicated. Players who never recover mentally can never play the same because of whatever is weighing them down
It’s never fun sitting on the sidelines watching your teammates play. “I tore the meniscus ligament in my right knee during a wrestling match. It took about 6 months for recovery” Fowler said.
My mental health was a little down, not being able to do what I usually do, like knowing how to walk, and not being able to anymore, like I want to walk.
But after being back, I was fine. Missing basically the rest of my season kind of sucked.
Everyone got to progress more as I watched on the side. And wrestling is a winter sport, and I wasn’t cleared till spring.”
Another wrestler for Junior Kris Nguyen, also had injury’s in his sophomore year as there were two occasions when he sprained his ankle at practice “When I sprained my ankle, it was bad, I was not able to walk normally and my coach told me to sit out for the rest of practice.
I also had to wrap up my ankle, and obviously it hurts but I didn’t freak out or anything. The funny thing is, I sprained my ankle again at the next practice!” Fortunately for Kris, his sprained ankle was fine once wrestling actually started; he can still get out on the mat when it’s his turn.
Next, was another senior named Jason Reyes who plays football,
“I dislocated my shoulder during practice, and I was out for the rest of the season. I’ve dislocated it a bunch of other times, non-sports related as well.
It happened again this season. I’m currently in the process of getting surgery. My mental health was fine.
It was a setback, sitting out, but it’s all for the future,
and I’m focusing on lacrosse right now. It sucked being out. I should be cleared by the end of December of this year.” And lastly, we have junior Jayden Joya,

“I was playing soccer, I kicked the ball and my teammate came at my leg wrong, and all the pressure of the ball went to my Achilles and knee.
I am still recovering, and I hope to be cleared soon. I hate not being able to play, but I do love being able to support the team at the games. I should be cleared and ready to play by the end of this or next week.”
After interviewing these kids, it’s been made apparent that not all injuries are the same, and most importantly, that not all the players go through a rough mental patch during their leave.
Though it is rough on each athlete to be out, and not be apart of the wins and loses, you will catch all of them on the sidelines cheering on their teammates as hard as they can.