Ethan White
Athletics are an important part of many students lives, for some student athletes this fall season was a bit different as injuries effected the start of their season.
Will Carroll is a varsity runner for both the cross country team and the track team. He recently had surgery on his pinky finger.
“I was playing dodgeball at Kanakuk and tried to catch a ball. And when I tried it the ball smashed my pinky and shattered the middle joint,” Carroll said.
Kanakuk, according to Carroll, is a Christian sports camp.
Even though he had surgery, he said it affected his training.
“When I had my first cast I was out for a week after surgery, but other than that it hasn’t interrupted anything,” Carroll said.
He will be in a brace for four more weeks and going to hand therapy throughout that period.
Carroll also said his friends and teammates play a roll in his recovery.
“Mainly just keeping me happy and positive. I hate not being able to run so my attitude wasn’t the best, but my coaches and teammates helped me stay positive,” Carroll said
Another athlete who will be missing some time is Junior Odyssey Warren, a varsity volleyball player who sprained her wrist. “During a drill I was diving for a ball and my hand smashed into the ground,” Warren said.
Due to this injury, she missed a game and has been going to the trainer after school to try and come back for her team. “I think it will push me to be better and bounce back,” Warren said.
Another Varsity volleyball player, who has experience with missing a season is Junior Evie McQueen.
“Freshman year I sprained my ankle and also got a stress fracture in my leg due to landing on another player’s foot at practice. I was out for six weeks with physical therapy… Although I thought my recovery was going well at the time, around March I noticed serious discomfort and pain after playing at practices and games. After club season I found out I needed surgery on my ankle due to the original sprain my freshman year. I had my peroneal tendons shortened and cadaver cartilage put in my ankle near the talus area of the foot on July 31,” McQueen said.
McQueen said her recovery was not always smooth. “I went through many ups and downs during my recovery. Not doing something you love and watching everyone else do it is frustrating and discouraging at times. Now that I am almost at 100%, I look back and am thankful for all of the hard work that was put in at times, even though it was a struggle some days,” McQueen said.
It was not always easy to try and come back to a varsity level, McQueen said.
“One of the major challenges of coming back is making a name for myself. Not being seen by my coaches and teammates for a while, I have to work extra hard to stand out. Also, not playing school ball for two years, I have lost some connections with teammates. And at times it feels like I am a freshman, not knowing what certain drills or plays are,” McQueen said.
However, McQueen said gained positive insight while sitting on the sidelines, watching her teammates play.
“One of the things that I picked up while sitting on the bench for so long was how much of volleyball is effort oriented. I now give so much more effort than I used to and go for balls that I think are impossible to reach. The biggest thing that I have gained out of this experience is being thankful that I can play a sport that I love. There are people not able to play sports their whole lives, so I am going to take advantage of what I have and not take it for granted,” McQueen said.
