High school sports are a big part of students’ lives, whether playing or watching, especially at West High School. High school sports are when sports become serious for athletes and extra pressure gets put on them to be better. One reason for this is that, in most games, the athletes have most of the school there, especially in sports like football. There are also school rivals, so the social norm is that you have to win the game against them, or there’s a sense of disappointment in schools. 

One of the biggest reasons athletes push themselves harder in high school sports is that this is the time to determine whether they will go on to play in college or if their career is over. For those not moving on to college sports, this can lead to overworking themselves since it’s their last season. 

One of the biggest disadvantages of doing any sport is the injuries and stress that are put on the body. Sports injuries are divided into two broad categories, acute and chronic. Acute injuries are short-lived, like an ankle sprain or even something simple like a bruise. Chronic injuries are long-term injuries that have gradually occurred over time. Many athletes who play sports like football, baseball, or softball for long periods usually develop chronic shoulder pain or even tears in ligaments and muscles.

An ongoing challenge is the common occurrence of chronic or serious injuries, particularly here at West. Josef Kadlec, the head girls wrestling coach, has been coaching wrestling for 11 years.  Kadlec shares that, “We have usually ended up with 1-2 injuries per season that sideline an athlete for more than a week or so.”

There are many factors in how this can happen, including athletes not taking proper care of themselves after practice or a game. Some main causes are athletes overworking themselves, especially when they’re in a high-demand sport. 

Poor mechanics can also be implemented into athletes, this can occur in games and practice when an athlete is tired and just goes through the movements. Athletes can also be taught the wrong mechanics, which is very uncommon.

Kadlec prepares his athletes by making sure they cover the correct mechanics while stretching. Doing this helps “prevent injuries in wrestling,” shares Kadlec

Some injuries can be prevented by taking time and focusing on taking care of the body. There is a crucial period for maintaining the body to help prevent chronic injuries, which is before and after practice. Athletic trainer Mr. McKinely states, “Taking stretching and warm-up seriously and giving it the proper time can help loosen up muscles and warm them up before practices or games.”

However, some athletes may not take warmups and cool-downs seriously. One common factor is that athletes use this time to catch up with team members. Most coaches allow athletes to use this time to talk and catch up so that they don’t do it during practice. With this, the athletes start to half-rep the exercise or use bad form, which can lead to more problems. The same thing happens when athletes cool down because they may think that since practice is done, then they are done, therefore, they won’t stretch before and after practice. This can lead to tight muscles or aching joints, which would continuously get worse from this process repeating.

It’s not just on the field or court that is affecting athletes on a physical level, it’s also at home. After practice or a game, student-athletes can feel tired and don’t have the energy to recover. This can be a problem because using ice or heat after a game or practice can make a big difference, the same goes for resting properly. If an athlete has an injury, they may not feel the need to rest the ligament or joint that is hurting because they feel it’s not that serious. This may lead to the injury getting worse and worse until it becomes a serious problem. Many athletes fear that if they take an injury seriously or bring it to a coach, they might be benched and unable to participate. With this fear, athletes may start to create a mindset where they believe they can not afford to miss time from the season. 

That’s where coaches come into play and speak out to protect their athletes. Whether that’s talking to them about what they need to do so they can take care of themselves physically, or pulling them from a game or practice.

It’s not just in-season when things like these are important to focus on, it’s during the off-season as well. The off-season is when athletes can train for the upcoming season or even take time off from their sport. “Doing a million different sports at once can lead to being more prone to injury,” McKinley says.

Serious or chronic Injuries are a problem here at West and they often lead to serious consequences. McKinely shares, “In my three years at West, I would say on average there are 10-20 injuries that lead to surgery a year from the start of fall seasons to the end of summer seasons each year