Freedom athletics is no stranger to injuries. While most players return to the team at the end of the season, others unfortunately must sit and watch from the sidelines. While this period of rest is essential to heal and restore, the athletes must work harder to regain their lost strength and make up for the time that they lost.
Alec Lockwood (11) is an independent athlete who plays for Central Valley Hockey. In the beginning of the season, Lockwood suffered a partial hamstring tear, forcing him to remain off the ice for several months, unable to return until the middle of December. In the past, Lockwood experienced a complete fracture in his right leg after a muscle pulled off part of the bone during a practice.
“It changed how I work for stuff, especially after I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) twice, [it] taught me I need to work harder to get back to where I want to be,” Garrett Drutarosky (12) said.
Drutarosky sustained a concussion during this year’s football season as well as two ACL tears and another concussion in previous years.
“[The biggest cause of injuries is] not stretching,” Athletic Trainor Emily Sigmund said. “Diet is also a big thing that I think people forget. Make sure you’re eating enough protein, and all your vitamins and everything. Eat your vegetables.”
During the soccer season, both Chase Andrews (9) and Boden Hilliard (12) experienced injuries, side-lining them for a significant time. Fractures in Andrews’s stability grip plate prevented him from continuing to play for the remainder of the soccer season and even carried into pre-season basketball conditioning.
During a soccer game, while running to catch a ball, another player kicked Hilliard in the back of the foot. Out of surgery, a surgical nerve block (temporary anesthesia to prevent the feeling of pain in specific regions) prevented him from moving his leg making simple tasks almost impossible without assistance. Slowly he began to move better and regained strength during rehab. Unfortunately Hilliard will not be cleared to play baseball this season due to the nine month recovery period.
“After going far in baseball last year it gets kind of sad here and there but I mean injuries happen for a reason—it’ll help me get stronger for when I go to college,” Hilliard said.
Despite their unpleasant experiences, these students remained determined to continue their athletic journeys. Each athlete has their own unique story with a common theme of perseverance.