My arm clicks like a roller coaster going up the first hill. My first game in my new position as JV quarterback and it was also the start of the roller coaster ride that is recovering from a sports injury. I was the kicker for the team up until about mid season then Coach Bufano asked if I could be the quarterback for JV, and naturally I said yes. I started practicing as the quarterback in practice and only felt minor discomfort in my shoulder, but once I started throwing with more repetitions, harder, and further it started getting worse. 

The day my shoulder died it was in horrendous pain, nothing compared. My right shoulder was about 3 inches lower than it was supposed to be and it was at a wonky angle. I talked to the trainer and my mother and we immediately scheduled an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist. The day we went in to the office they x-rayed me and had me move in ways that caused me pain. The worst pain was when the doctor had to break the news to me that my football season was over and I may not be able to swim in the winter. I was just silent, I didn’t burst into tears like others may have done in this situation, no I was just silent. I was prescribed physical therapy to rehab my shoulder, on the way home I just put my hood up on my sweatshirt and stared out the window blankly thinking how I could get back quickly. The answer was I couldn’t I would have to work my way back.

The first day of physical therapy wasn’t hard they just had me do baseline tests to see how bad I was and see my range of motion. I thought it was going to be easy, boy was I wrong. Day two was hell, they had the stretch and warm-up first which sounds easy but it was exhausting. Then they had me actually work out. After the second day I was absolutely destroyed, but I knew the only way for me to be able to swim was for me to do PT perfectly and effectively. Three days a week for almost 3 months I worked toward my goal, then I went back to be reassessed I got my PT reduced to twice a week and I got to start swimming again something that I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do at all that winter. 

The first swim meet back was like pulling into the station at the end of a roller coaster, it was the point where I could finally relax again back in my normal day to day life after the chaos ended. I got in the pool for warm-ups I felt pretty good, I finally felt free again. Each event that I swam made me feel better and better that I was finally back to my normal self. The pain was gone and I felt stronger than ever going through the pool. I had a personal best that night and even won a few events.

I learned something very important from this injury that no matter how bad it looks or how inconvenient something may seem you can always look for a positive. I wasn’t allowed to go past a certain lap count during practice so I kicked for the remainder of practice and that improved my kicking astronomically and helped me throughout the season. I also got to learn ways to prevent this from happening in the future. By far though the most important thing that I learned wasn’t even learned it was something that I changed, instead of complaining or being sad when something isn’t going my way I always ask myself why it is happening and how it can still benefit me or those around me. Things don’t just happen and have no point, there is always something to learn. In the moment everything may seem horrible and pointless, but always remember there is a point to everything.