Freedom’s fall sports teams are just getting started and the last thing any team wants is an injured player. Unfortunately, there have already been multiple injuries so far this season. Aside from minor injuries, there have been a number of athletes who have experienced more serious ones.
Sophomore Erich Borgman received a serious concussion in early August, which may prevent him from playing football at all this season. Borgman received a concussion the previous year which kept him from playing at all, as well as causing him to miss a few weeks of school. This year, Borgman hopes to be able to play, but he isn’t sure whether he will be back or not because he only has limited details on his concussion.
“The worst part is standing on the sidelines and watching the team,” Borgman said. He wishes the team good luck and hopes to be able to play before the end of the season.
Senior Allen Moeller also got a concussion when he hit helmets with a fellow teammate at practice. Moeller had to miss both the New Brighton and the Beaver game.
Like Borgman, Moeller dislikes the fact that he can’t play with the team. “It feels bad to watch your team out there while you are sitting on the bench,” Moeller said, “I hope everyone comes out and supports us this season.”
When a player is out for a long period of time, the team can no longer rely on them. Every player is important, so no matter what the sport, the team will be at a disadvantage.
Concussions are an extremely dangerous injury and they can cause permanent brain damage. What used to be known as “getting your bell rung” can now prevent you from playing sports or even attending school for weeks. Concussions are very serious. Because they are a brain injury caused by impact to the head, the immediate effects can be dizziness, nausea, confusion, painful headaches and sometimes loss of consciousness. Concussions are unfortunately a common injury among nearly all sports and are sometimes hard to avoid.
Even small injuries can cause issues for teams. Sophomore Stuart Skogsholm of the golf team dislocated his finger, causing him to miss a match. Skogsholm was injured while playing football with his friends. His injury occurred off the field, but definitely affected his ability to play. “I was pretty mad that I had to miss a match”, Skogsholm said. When Skogsholm finally could play again, he had to change his grip so he could hold his clubs. Luckily the injury hasn’t affected him too badly; he was only five strokes away from qualifying for WPIAL’s with a total score of 89— his best this year.