Injuries happen

Student athletes endure unplanned setbacks and should be proactive to heal injuries so it doesn’t affect their future

Photo courtesy of Kathy Hahn

Cleared to play: Freshman QB Kolton Matson warms up to play varsity. Matson took over for Grayson Murren after his injury during the Kamiak game. “The injury really impacted my sight of football. Sometimes you may never come back from an injury or your chance of a season might get taken away from you. Thankfully, I was blessed and was able to get healed up just in time to take my team to a 2-0 playoff victory,” Matson said.

Student athletes who participate in sports are prone to injuries. Typically from breaking a bone, to a torn muscle, to a concussion. All sports can cause an injury that could end up being very serious even if it’s a no contact sport like swimming. Some sports have more injuries than others like basketball and football.

“I broke my left humerus pretty much in half…It was my last year of youth football, so I didn’t get to do that. And then also now my left arm is about an inch shorter than my own because of how it broke and the way it healed back together,” sophomore football player Gage Solomon said.

Injuries such as breaks can have a long-term effect on student athletes like Solomon. It is still going to affect him today and having that past injury will be a burden to him for a long time. Some of the Injuries to the student athlete can be more short term like a torn ankle, which still can affect the student athlete greatly but not as long as a broken bone.

“I had a torn muscle in my ankle, not in my ankle, but right above it… It stopped me from participating in my practice and a little bit in my game. It stopped me from helping my teammates and my coaches and getting better to win,” sophomore lacrosse and football player Mason Turner said.

Injuries are something that student athletes sometimes can’t control. It’s out of their reach if the injury heals and if it affects them in the long run or not. Student athletes should take care of their bodies following an injury whether that be going to physical therapy, getting the injuries checked out on a regular basis and getting the injuries wrapped before practices and games.