Dear injured athlete,
You know very well all there is to being an athlete. Being an athlete means early mornings, long bus rides and unforgettable friendships. It's those good and bad days followed by tears of happiness, pain or disappointment; those times you’re minutes away from quitting and giving up because you feel you just can’t take the pressure anymore; those moments filled with anger and annoyance because you didn’t perform to the best of your ability, although you’ve put in countless hours of practice.
The days you say you’ll quit, you know you really won’t. The tears you cry after performing poorly only means you’ll work harder. The pain you feel in your body becomes a good feeling because you know you’re succeeding. You know that although you hate it, you truly love it and can’t picture yourself without it. Life without your sport becomes foreign to you, until you get injured and are forced to sit out for the remainder of your season.
All injuries are serious. Being that I am an injured athlete right now, toward the end of my season, I know how hard it is to sit out and watch your teammates. It’s that feeling of working so hard all season to end up hurt one random day. You ask yourself, why? Why did I even waste my time if all along I was going to get injured? Why did I bother waking up at 6 a.m. everyday as a college swimmer to sleep walk to the pool for practice? Why did I care to give up most of my social life and distance myself from friends if I wouldn’t be able to perform at championships anyways? What really was the point?
In fact, there is a point. Looking back at the moments I did have the pleasure of contributing this season, I wouldn’t change any of it, except for all of my complaints about not wanting to go to practice. I actually do want to go to practice; I do want to work hard in and out of the pool with my teammates. I don’t want to sit around like a bump on a log because of my injury.
Just know that you’re not alone, injured athlete; we all feel as though we’ve let our teammates down when in reality we haven’t. It’s not like you chose to get hurt, what’s done is done. All you can do now is support your teammates and recover for next season, providing you have a next season. If you don’t have a next season, don’t be bitter; be better. Enjoy the last memories you’ll make with your teammates before it comes to an end. Just because you can’t perform doesn’t mean you aren’t part of your team.
Although it seems unfair, it’s actually a lesson learned—to never take the beauty of your sport for granted, to have the ability to now see the glass half full. And most importantly, to now teach your teammates (who are not injured) to see the same as you. This way they can fully enjoy every moment performing as the athlete they are, before one day it comes to an unexpected end for that season or even forever. Being the athlete you are shows you have talent. Talent in whichever sport it is you excel in. Not everyone can balance the workload that athletes can, so be grateful. Be honored to even be an athlete because what you do isn’t easy and being injured on the sidelines is even worse. Don’t let people feel pity for you because you’re hurt, and don’t let yourself feel pity either. You can be miserable or you can be joyous about the fact that you are still a part of your remarkable team.
Being injured has, in a short time, taught me to thoroughly enjoy every moment as the athlete I am. It has also helped to open my eyes to the little time (one last season) I have left as a swimmer. But, in my upcoming season things will change. It will no longer be a love-hate relationship, but rather a young athlete doing simply what she loves with no hatred at all. Being injured has showed me how lucky I am to even be part of my college’s swim team and how little the complaints matter.
There’s going to come a time in my life where I’ll have to hang up my swim cap and goggles and walk away from the sport I love. There will also come a time where you, injured athlete, will have to do the same. Appreciate every moment because before you know it, you’ll no longer be that athlete you once were. As you grow older, you'll have nothing but the memories made with your teammates.
Sincerely,
An injured athlete
