Challenge

I have faced many challenges in my life but none have been greater than two years ago when I was injured. During a game I slid into second base and shattered several bones in the middle of my foot. I had to have major reconstructive surgery and have several plates and screws inserted. I had to go through about eight months of rehab to start walking and at about a year I was cleared to run. Not being able to participate in sports, workout, or do anything active was a huge lifestyle change for me. I learned to do other things with my time and found that sports weren't everything that my life should revolve around. Getting hurt was also one of the hardest times in my life. The doctors were unsure if the surgery was going to work or if I was ever going to be able to play again. It was devastating but it helped pushed me through my rehab and make me even more determined to not only play but be even better than I was before. It was a very slow process. It was six months until I could walk on my own without crutches or having to wear a boot. One of the worst parts that was after 4 months of healing and working so that I was just in a boot I had to have surgery a second time to remove some of the hardware that they had put in the first surgery. Mentally it was so hard to restart and be placed backwards after so much hard work in rehab. Even once I was fully cleared I could not start playing right away. Yes, I was cleared to run, but only in a straight line. This was frustrating because I was so close yet so far away. The best feeling was when I finally got to get back out on the field after all of the hard work that I had done to get healthy again.

Commentary Paper Topic - Concussions

One of the biggest concerns of coaches and parents in sports is their player’s safety. Concussions have been one of the hottest and most controversial topics to arise in the past few years. On one side, people do not think that concussions are being taken seriously. They believe that there needs to be more rules and regulations in clearing players to return to sport as well as more training for the people observing and caring for athletes. On the other hand, many believe that concussions are not a serious problem. They believe that the precautions taken after an athlete takes a blow to the head are not needed. In their view this is the public becoming soft and babying athletes. Both believe that their views are best for the athletes they are taking care of, but which side is correct?

I believe that concussions are a serious problem if ignored. Injuries to the brain are very dangerous and undiagnosed a severe concussion can have alarming effects. I played with a girl that now has a speech impediment as well as problems with feinting as a result of multiple concussions. I think that the public needs to know how dangerous concussions can be and that sitting out is a very worthy precaution in comparison to the possible damage that may result from ignoring the injury.