While playing a sport is crucial in many people’s high school career, many athletes have to deal with the effects of severe injury. On LM sports teams many athletes have been temporarily out during the season due to injuries. LM trainer Jason Luty explained that these injuries happen mainly because of two reasons: bad luck and overexertion. He explained that bad luck can lead to accidents, attributing them to mere unfortunate coincidences. He also highlighted overexertion, particularly in athletes who play the same sport year-round.
Injuries affect both players’ mental health and their team as a whole. Varsity girls’ basketball player Hana McLain ’27 is still working on recovery for her torn ACL from last season. McLain explained how her injury had both positive and negative impacts on her. She stated, “I feel my injury has had a big impact on me both positively and negatively, sometimes I feel disconnected from my sport but I also feel like I will feel stronger when I get back to playing.” This helps to show that it can also take a mental toll on athletes since they may feel disconnected from a sport they love.
On the other hand, iInjuries of key athletes can change a whole teams dynamic. Varsity boys’ soccer central midfielder Marcello Froio ’25 was out with a concussion this fall. Froio iterates that it was both hard on the team position and leadership wise. As a senior captain and a returning player, he thought that experience and example would be represented less on the team with his absence. However, Froio was able to still be involved as a teammate outside the field. He states how he was able to still connect with the team outside of practice at team dinners. As a captain being out for the majority of a season recovering from a concussion, he showed that he could work hard to get healthy and continued to lead by example as he had before.
These are just two of the many examples of how injuries of key athletes have affected LM sports teams. It’s why there are key factors athletes should keep in mind in order to prevent their injuries. There are many important ways that athletes can take care of themselves during the season to prevent injuries, such as properly warming up with stretching before practice and cooling down after as well as strength training and cross training when possible. It also includes visiting the athletic trainer even if you feel a minor pain or discomfort.
With intense training and many workouts, warming up properly with dynamic stretching and cooling down and finishing with static stretching are key factors in preventing injuries. This is because you need to get your muscles prepared for the intense exercises that you will perform and the lack of such actions is what leads to injury. It is said that “cold muscles” are less able to absorb harsh impact and shock which could make you prone to muscle strains and tears.
Secondly, it is important to strength train as an athlete. This helps to make sure that all your muscles are equally as strong. If they aren’t, it can be harmful and further lead to muscle imbalances. It also improves your strength and endurance as an athlete which is beneficial in any sport. Similarly to strength training, cross training is a secondary method of training as well as injury prevention. Girls’ cross country and track and field coach Marchelle Else explains that “Running is a high impact, strenuous activity, which can lead to injury rather easily. It is important to place importance on strength and cross training activities. Strong muscles are less likely to get fatigued, overworked and injured. Whole body strength training leads to better form, increased speed, and improved performance.” Not cross training and heavily practicing one consecutive sport all year round can lead to overexertion, which was something Luty mentioned.
Many major problems in athletes arise due to late detection of pain and injury. This is why it is key to visit the athletic trainer even if you feel a small discomfort. Injuries also contribute to the team dynamic having to change as well as the athletes overall mental health. This is why there are important steps that you should take in order to maintain yourself healthy during your sports season.
