Throughout the winter sports, it’s common to see injured athletes still engaging with their team. Although they cannot do much due to their injury, they find ways to help and contribute to their team.

Having an injury and not being involved as much as the other athletes might make them feel left out. Of course, they want to participate and be more physically active, but sadly, their injury limits their physical abilities. This means that it may be difficult to go back to how they were before their injury.

Winter sports are girls and boys basketball, wrestling, dance, and hockey. ( There is at least one injured person in each sport and they try to help the team with games and competitions. 

  On the Varsity Dance Team, sophomore Olivia Smith has been injured since July. She tore her front and back labrum on her right shoulder and then sprained her left ankle a month later. Due to tearing her labrum, she found out that she could not dance and was out for the fall and winter season, making her an alternate for now. Smith thought that it was a coincidence that was injured right before school started and she was quite upset with her injuries. 

With Olivia’s teammates dancing around her and her not being able to do anything, she felt jealous. 

“I feel left out and there’s really nothing I can do,” Smith said.

Although she cannot dance, she still stretches and does zumba with the team to stay active. During practices, Smith said she helps with giving critiques to the dancers and also records the dances they do at both practice and at competitions. 

At the dance competitions when her team is performing, she screams and hypes them up to dance harder and that it works. Sometimes Smith will organize a few things for the coaches in the dance loft and clean up around so it doesn’t look so messy. Overall, Smith is a great help to the dance team and a positive motivator. Even though she could not dance for the seasons, she will surely be back in the fall, she said.

Moving on to another varsity athlete, former junior Kris Kurth, who does wrestling, has been injured since early November. He dislocated his knee cap at wrestling practice and was mad since he knew he might be out for most of the season. When Kurth got injured, he said that dislocating his knee felt uncomfortable and unusual. 

“I’m still involved with the team, it’s that I don’t wrestle with them during practices and it really sucks being on the side,” said Kurth.

Due to Kurth’s injury, it does not stop him from maintaining being in good shape. He said he’ll lift with his teammates during practice and will work more on upper body strength.

During his practices, Kurth said that he’ll either help with coaching inexperienced lightweight wrestlers, take attendance for his coach, or sit on the side and watch his teammates. He also said he helps his teammates by rolling out the wrestling mats before practice starts. At wrestling tournaments and duels, Kurth tries to hype up his team and be a good supporter. Even though most of the time he is spent watching his teammates wrestle, he still tries to be positive and a good role model for his younger teammates. 

“I know my injury is temporary and I try not to let it affect me that much, because I already know that I’ll be back soon,” Kurth said. 

Former senior Brianna Rux, varsity basketball player, she was injured in her first home game. She tore her ACL, her meniscus, and fractured her femur. Rux said that she could not believe that she was already out and injured for most of the winter season. She just wanted to play basketball just like her other teammates. Rux said it’s difficult to watch her teammates play at practice and at the games because it makes her want to play even more. She wants to play basketball because she finds it to be a self reliever and it is quite helpful to her. 

Rux said herself that she is a support system for the team and cheers them on during their games. At the basketball games she said she counts the fouls, possessions, and timeouts her and the other team has. Rux makes sure to watch the games clearly and it keeps her occupied and busy.  

In order to maintain a healthy shape, Rux said in the meantime she lifts to help motivate herself for basketball even though she can not play. She lifts during her Strength and Conditioning class and mostly works on her arms in the meantime. She said she also does work on her legs but only her left one for now. Although her injury limits her from playing basketball, she still shows positive sportsmanship.

“You just gotta push through the things you don’t like,” Rux said. 

 No one likes being injured and sitting on the side, but injuries come with patience and limits. Injured athletes do bring a lot of motivation and support to their teams and want what is best for them in general. Injuries do come with pain and ache, though it takes time and either way things will get better throughout the days.