A quick twist of an ankle or a brutal fall can send a student athlete into weeks or even months of rehabilitation.
Senior Nicole Barto fractured her ankle and tore her ATF (anterior talofibular ligament) when she fell down on top of a player during the first district basketball game against Rockford in March.
“I wanted to be able to overcome the pain and convince myself I could get back in the game,” Barto said.
Since Barto is a senior, this ended up being the last game of her high school career.
“I wasn’t ready to be done yet, especially being a senior. It was disappointing to know it was my last game ever playing with my team,” Barto said.
For others, they still have more seasons to play. Sophomore Jenna Beechler suffered a concussion in April 2018 after getting hit to the ground during a soccer game. It wasn’t easy for her to sit out.
“Soccer has always been a big part of my life and finding out I wasn’t even able to touch a soccer ball was a struggle,” Beechler said.
Even though it was hard for her to not play, she still found ways to keep herself positive.
“I still went to all of the games and practices and watching those helped me stay as positive as possible,” Beechler said.
For some athletes it can be hard to watch your teammates practice while being on the sidelines.
“It wasn’t fun sitting out everyday watching my team practice. Especially since I worked so hard in the off season,” sophomore Drew Mulheisen said.
During a workout the week before basketball tryouts, Mulheisen injured his ankle. Due to the injury he sat out for a total of four games while he recovered.
“It’s a good learning experience. [It teaches you] no matter what happens, you have to work hard,” Mulheisen said.
