Injuries

Injuries are devastating. No one wants them, but they always happen. Some injuries are less impacting than others, but they prevent players from playing at their top speed. In the sport of football injuries are inevitable, but the game is still played by millions and the risk is always there.

Two teammates of mine have gotten hit by season ending injuries, one with a broken collar bone and the other with a torn ACL. Jackson Behn is my teammate who tore his ACL and ended his senior year a couple week ago. I feel terrible for him, not only because he has to miss the rest of this season, but because he is a senior. Any senior who gets a long term or season ending injury is tough. The fact of the matter is he will never be able to take another high school football snap, and potential another snap of football in his life. That's why injuries suck. They prevent players from finishing seasons, and sometimes can prevent players from fulfilling their dreams all the way. This is why my full support goes to my friend Jackson as I hope he gets better soon, and it gives us as a team more to play for.

I've also been injured so I know the pain of sitting to the side and watching. It's not same. I was luckily injured during the spring, running track, and was able to bounce back and play my football season, but I did have to sit out practices during the summer. It's a hard thing to do. For one; you aren't able to improve your game. Everyone around you is getting better while you aren't able to do anything about it. Also it's not the same sitting on the side of the field as it is on the field. The reason people play sports is because they enjoy the game. When you are sitting on the sideline, that pure enjoyment isn't as sweet as when you are in the game. Injuries can also make you feel helpless. I fractured my hip so I could only walk with crutches otherwise a jolt of pain went down my leg. I like to think of myself as a tough person when it comes to these things because I don't complain about pain and push through a lot of it. When I got this injury it was the first time I couldn't do that and it gave me a new perspective. It allows you to focus on what really matters, and to me at that time, the only thing that mattered was being able to walk normal again. This is why support during injuries are imperative. Injured players need support so that they can feel normal, and get through the tough time.

Not all injuries are that serious. For example, a sprained finger, or a bad turf burn. Those things can be played through, although they do affect how well the player can play. A common injury in football is a concussion. These can be very serious because of the fact that they are in your brain. They normally sideline guys from between 2-6 weeks depending on the extent of the injury. Since this is common, most players are able to come back from them during the season and continue to play, but for the weeks those players are out it's hard for them.

The bottom line is injuries are hard to deal with, but they are the risk that players take. Every team has them no matter how serious they are. For seniors in high school it's especially tough if a serious one hits during the season, but that's what support is for, and teams can bond over that. No one enjoys an injury, but the response to them makes them a stronger and more driven individual.