Sports can be very important in the lives of many student-athletes. Students can get passionate, and get invested in their game. Occasionally, incidents happen during these games that result in injuries. Sports related injuries are common among student athletes and can prevent them from playing the sport they love.  Some are able to recover, whereas others feel as though they never will. However self-care remains important, even to those who feel helpless.

   Westerville basketball player, Emily Bartholomew (12), recently experienced a wrist injury while playing against Franklin Heights High School.

   “It was our first home game against Franklin Heights. I was driving to the basket and the girl from the other team kind [of] ran into me,” Bartholomew said. 

   When sports injuries occur, oftentimes, there is not much one can do to prevent it. 

   “It’s hard to prevent contact, especially when it’s a part of the game, and you want to do good for your team,” Bartholomew said.

   Not only is experiencing an injury hard for players, but witnessing and helping a player though said injury can be hard as well. Jonathan Coffing, Westerville North’s athletic trainer, explained his experiences.

   “Seeing the disappointment, the frustration, is really hard. During an injury their first reaction is ‘oh no’ I just ruined my season, it’s difficult to see,” Coffing said.

   Injuries can have different effects on different players, while injuries can take you out of the game for some time, Bartholomew explains how it has left her time for other activities. 

   “It’s not like I can really do much at practice anyways. So I had more time to work on this big project I had, and I could get stuff done which was very nice. Overall I felt more productive,” Bartholomew said.

    Coffing suggests that waiting out a sports injury can be the best thing to do.
  “I would say the biggest thing to tell a highschool student is to be patient. I know it’s not what they want to hear when it comes to returning from an injury, but if we don’t do things correctly initially it’s gonna come back to haunt you in the season,” Coffing said. 

   It’s suggested that doing the right things at the right time, and knowing your limits can help with an athlete’s longevity. 

   “When you have to play a lot and play very often you have to make sure you’re recovering right so that you can last and not get little tweaks and injuries,” Bartholomew said. 

   “Self care is absolutely beneficial in not only helping our job but your performance in general and ability to prevent injury,” Coffing said. 

    Accepting an injury is something Bartholomew has learned in the past few weeks.. 

   “Overall I think I’ve come to terms with my injury. I’m very excited to come back, this injury has shown how much I appreciate basketball,” Bartholomew said.