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Sports Injuries: How Injured Athletes Can Support Their Team From the Sidelines

thepurpleonion

By Lena Perrone



How many athletes do you think get injured yearly in high school athletics? According to Advent Health, “High school athletes account for over 2 million yearly injuries, with 30,000 leading to hospitalizations.” But which sports are most likely to cause injuries? 

Football is shown to be the most injury-prone sport, making it the most dangerous high school sport. Women’s Soccer accounted for the second-highest injury rate, and basketball was the third-highest. Why is this topic so important to high school sports and young athletes?

Nebraska Med says, “For young athletes, injuries can be tough to cope with, as this might be their first serious obstacle in life.” Injuries can be tolling on the mental health and emotions of athletes; “Athletes who become injured often report feeling isolated and unsure how to navigate the road to recovery” (EDU Sport). Coaches and teammates can help the athletes feel supported and a part of the team while recovering. 

The Sport Information Research Centre (SIRC) explains the effect an injured athlete can have on a group saying, “When an athlete gets injured, the makeup or structure of the group is forced to change because they are unable to participate in the same ways as when they were healthy.” The team may require a line-up change or need different athletes to step up in place of the injured teammate. While some athletes struggle with injury, their team may still need support and guidance from the sidelines. 

Student-athlete Marie Klostermann gave insight into how she dealt with an injury during the cross-country season at Central DeWitt. Marie struggled with calf pain during her Freshman year of high school. She was out from cross country for 1 or 2 meets due to injury and pain. Although she wasn’t out for an extended period, she still gained support from her coaches and grew her love for the sport. 

How did being injured make her love the sport even more? Marie didn’t feel like a burden during her time off from racing and it made her more thankful for her coach's support and the sport of cross country. She was able to support her team by managing and timing her teammates' splits as well as cheering. 

Marie Klostermann represents how dealing with an injury can make your love for the sport grow. Marie also stressed that her coaches were big supporters during her injury. Athletes like Marie who are dealing with injury can still support their team as well as being supported while they are taking time off. 

Another student-athlete who dealt with an injury during the season was Jacqueline Wilke. Jacqueline suffered from Mono during her 7th-grade basketball season. She was out of basketball for 2 weeks as well as gymnastics. The team was affected while Jacqueline was out with an illness because they were down a player. 

Jacqueline continued to support her basketball team by trying to cheer everyone on and helping out the team when she could. Her teammates and coaches supported her through her time off by making sure she didn’t injure herself while she was out. Her time off made her more grateful for the sport and she learned that she missed basketball when she couldn’t play.

Head football coach Mr. Waterbury gave insight into what he sees while athletes are injured during the season, “Injuries can obviously be very frustrating. I think the biggest thing is students probably don’t realize how much more they can do to prevent injuries,” says Coach Waterbury. Waterbury’s most important piece of advice for high schoolers is a healthy sleep schedule. 

Mr. Waterbury says there is a risk of injury when losing sleep. Along with creating a healthy sleep schedule, he believes that weightlifting is a great way to prevent injury. Waterbury revealed that when a player is injured it lets you learn a lot about what kind of a team member they are. Some may not show up or even become a distraction; while others show selflessness and become a supportive coach for the team. 

These three members of the school have proven that there are different ways athletes choose to deal with their emotions while being injured. Injured members of the team can choose to improve or hurt the team while they are taking time away from the sport. Many athletes struggle with injury and therefore need to be shown support; as well as being able to support their team. 



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The Purple Onion | School Newspaper | Central DeWitt High School | DeWitt, IA

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