Photo Credit: CHEYENNE PINO
BY DANIELLE ONAFRAYCHUK
For many students, constantly participating in outdoor activities and joining recreational sports teams is a way of life. During childhood, many of them found comfort in picking up a bat, or kicking a ball around. Even today, sports dominate the lives of students. To some it is a stress relief factor, for others it is a route to college. However, with this extreme dedication to athletics, sports injuries are becoming more and more common. Getting injured playing a sport not only affects ones physical health, but also ones emotional health. Being taken out due to an injury can change everything in an instant.
High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year. The top 8 most dangerous high school sports are football, hockey, pole vaulting, soccer, bicycling, lacrosse, baseball/softball and cheerleading. Injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities accounts for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States. These injuries occur because adolescent bodies are not fully developed and are highly susceptible to injuries that can be very harmful in the long term.
Within Cooper City High School alone multiple students are injured each year. Some are out for a few games while others see their athletic careers abruptly come to an end.
Bethany Williams a senior at CCHS, has repeatedly had injuries (a broken leg and arm). Her most detrimental injury was when she broke her nose on June 22nd, 2011, an injury that resulted in surgery and illegibility to play softballs for four weeks.
Ever since she was a child, Williams has been very involved with softball and she made CCHS’s varsity softball team all four years of high school. While her injury sidelined her for awhile, it did not stop Williams from coming back. Williams eventually earned a softball scholarship to the University of Charleston.
“Don`t be afraid to step back into your sport. One thing should not hold you back if you work hard enough to overcome it,” Williams said.
However, Williams is just one of the many who overcame their injuries and returned to their sport. Junior Donnie Schmitt began his football career as a freshman and plays a critical role on the football team as line backer. However, his three years of high school football came to an end during this year’s homecoming game where he suffered a gruesome leg injury.
“That was probably the most pain I have ever felt before in my life, but not even that compared to the feeling I had when I realized that meant the end of my season,” Schmitt said.
Since freshman year Schmitt has faced a multitude of other injuries. During his sophomore Schmitt was forced to the sidelines for half of the season due to a concussion. Not only was he unable to play football, but he also missed one week of school. According to Schmitt, school was just one of the many difficulties accompanying his concussion. Agitation and impatience soon followed, and his weak memory had him struggling to accomplish his makeup work. Still, he did not let this stop him. Two weeks into the season of his junior year Schmitt was suffered a season ending groin injury. Regardless, Schmitt continues to push forward and hopes to return for his senior year.
Although the physical aspect of getting injured is painful, for many students the inability to participate in their sport is more devastating than the actual injury itself. Despite all odds, students are overcoming these obstacles in the hopes of returning to the sport they love.
