For athletes, an injury could ruin more than just the season

 Blake Russell ’23 knew something was off when he couldn’t keep his shoulder in place during practice.

“I was just practicing and my shoulder felt weird, like it was popping out of socket,” said Russell.

After visiting a doctor, Russell found out that it wasn’t just some simple dislocation; the issue was a lot more serious.

“I had these things called bone spurs on the end of my joint that caused nerve issues,” said Russell. “The bone spurs were rubbing against the nerves that run through my shoulder.” 

Russell felt like he had let his coaches and teammates on the Varsity team down by forcing the team to change the plays.

“When I was injured I felt like just a bump on a log. I felt like I left an open void in the team,” said Russell.  “The spot I was playing was such a unique spot because it was a heavy H. You have to be really aggressive and there was no one else to fill it.”

Russell is one of the 35% of teenage football players that had gotten injured that year during a game.

“The injury affected my offseason the most because I couldn’t even back squat for the longest time,” said Russell.  “I feel like it lowered my full potential for the season because I couldn’t get as big as I could have. Four months of my offseason was taken up with surgery and recovery.”

Russell isn’t the only player affected greatly from an injury. Running Back Danny Philips ‘23 also suffered from an injury, causing his plans for college to be changed.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to play [football] in the future because it was all dependent on how this year went,” said Philips. “Since I didn’t [play this year], I’m leaning more towards not playing in the future and just being done with it.”

These two players are just a few of the many that are affected from injuries that happen all too often. Protecting yourself from injury is protecting your future.