I’ve made some of the best connections with people I have been on a team with, therefore, I value the connections I make on teams heavily. One season I sprained my ankle, so I couldn’t participate fully but I still went to the practices and games, even if I couldn’t play, just to cheer on my team. Just attending and being around my team kept me involved with them and not at home alone with nobody to talk to.

Sport injuries are common in high school. In the article “Sports Medicine: Treating Common High School Sports Injuries,” by Orthopedic Centers of Colorado, approximately 5.2 million sport injuries occur in high school athletes. The article goes on to say that sprains, strains and concussions were the most common of injuries. Most of these injuries happened in competitions.

When students get hurt they are told to rest and not play or practice. Depending on the severity of the injury, this could be what is best for that athlete. Let’s say somebody has a broken shoulder, their legs aren’t broken so they can still walk. If students are able to, they should go to practices so they don’t lose the connections they built with their teammates. Like I said earlier, depending on the severity of the injury, first students should seek professional help. The more severe the injury is, the longer students will be gone from their sport, therefore longer away from their teammates.

One of the first things an injured student athlete should do once they are hurt is get it checked out and not ignore it. Then if they are able to, they should go to practices and still encourage their team. Just being with teammates can keep away the depression that is common in many athletes who pull away from a team after injury. If students keep on a path to recovery, they will be back with their team sooner than they would have if they didn’t do anything about the injury. 

Students are with their teammates very often during their sports season, so they normally form closer bonds with them then they would with a classmate, who they are with one hour a day. For most sports, athletes practice after school and athletes get to see their teammates. If a student is hurt this opportunity gets taken away from them- if they let it. 

According to the report “The psychological response to injury in student athletes: a narrative review with a focus on mental health,” by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, physical injury can cause depression. If you pull away from physical exertion to avoid straining your injury, but stay with your teammates, the friendship could help fight the depression that comes from not being able to participate in sports. 

Olympic skier Picabo Street suffered a very bad leg and knee injuries in March of 1998. She said she had very bad depression during this time. In the report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Street was quoted as saying, “I went through a huge depression. I went all the way to rock bottom.”

Even if athletes are hurt they should still stay with their team and not be all alone.