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With fall sports in full swing now, we are seeing a lot of players coming off the field injured. In an article by Medical News Today, it stated that every year approximately 2 million high school students in the US have a sports-related injury. Some of the most common injuries are sprains and fractures, knee injuries, ankle or Achilles tendon injuries, and dislocations. I have interviewed 3 people who play various sports. They each have one of the different kinds of common sports injuries and have shared with me their experiences.
Amy Leon, a sophomore field hockey player, ended her season early on September 21st of this year. She was at the Parsippany High vs. Boonton game when she rolled her ankle, accidentally stepping on the game ball. She hasn’t played since. Amy tells us, “It stinks having to sit on the bench all the time but I can’t wait to get back on the field.” She is very optimistic and is keeping a cheerful attitude during her time off the field. When asked if her team has been supportive, she said, “For sure, they are always asking when I’m going to be back and asking me how I am. We are all trying to keep a positive mindset.” Unfortunately, Amy will not be able to play for the rest of the season, but we are happy to hear she will be fully recovered once November rolls around.
On September 13, 2019, the Boonton football team had a great win against Newark. But one of our fellow football players didn’t leave the game as happy as the rest. Jonathan Lockette was taken out of the game in the first quarter when an opposing player banged his helmet against Jonathan’s knee causing it to pop out of place. He was pretty bummed out when he learned that he was going to be out for the next 6 months, missing the rest of his season. Although he is trying to keep a positive outlook on things, saying, “It’s pretty frustrating not being able to play. But I’m gonna come back stronger next year!”
The next injury isn’t as recent, but its effects are long-lasting. Last year on September 14, cheerleader Angelina De Marco dislocated her shoulder during a halftime performance. She was back spotting a stunt when the flyer came tumbling down. Ang twisted her own arm back to catch her and in doing so dislocated it. She was a fighter and continued through the rest of her performance, during which her shoulder popped back into place. When she figured out what she had done, she began going to physical therapy and has been for the past year at least twice a week. She was out for all of last year’s cheer season but she’s back now. When asked about what her team does to help she said, “My team cares about my injury and they hope I get better but sometimes they expect more from me than what I can do because of the limitations of my injury.”
These are just a few of the stories behind our fellow classmate’s injuries. To prevent injury you can do any and all of the following, such as wearing the correct protective gear, stretch before and after games and practices, drink plenty of water, and giving your body breaks so it can rest between intense physical exercise. With that being said injury can and will continue to occur in young athletes. One of the reasons for so many recurring injuries happen because the athlete didn’t allow themselves to fully recover the first time. So be cautious and if you do get injured don’t try to rush the healing process and come back to the sport when you are fully well to do so.
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