Have any of you been injured quite severely by a sport that you absolutely loved to play? Did it initially tear you to pieces (pun intended) when you couldn’t play that sport anymore? That’s what happened to me. The sport I loved and devoted so much time to throughout my life had betrayed me, it seemed. It broke my body down until I couldn’t take it anymore; a knee injury was bestowed upon me. What a wonderful gift, right? This is my story about how I decided to take advantage of my injury and how my injury was a major learning experience for me.

Volleyball was my talent; at least that is what I wanted it to be when I was young. I tried out my 7^th grade year in middle school and didn’t make the team. But instead of giving up and thinking I wasn’t good enough, my parents supported me and allowed me to participate in every single volleyball camp that I could find that following summer. I had no intention of letting go so easily. Shortly following my entry into the 8^th grade, I tried out for volleyball again and was overjoyed to find that I had made the team.

High school made itself present and I was still determined to play the sport I had become attached to. Making the JV volleyball team made me a happy camper. Time continued to fly by and I spent two years playing club volleyball in addition to being on the Varsity volleyball team for the remaining three years of High school. I loved every minute of the sweat and tear shedding moments that had become a large section of my life.

The clock kept ticking, bringing me into my freshman year of college. This was my chance to play volleyball (for pure enjoyment) with new faces and new talents in the intermural leagues at the University of Alabama. I was able to continue playing the sport that I loved and was also able to challenge myself and my talent with the unfamiliar faces that were surrounding me. I joined two volleyball teams that fall semester, one co-ed and one all-girls. All was extremely well and tons of fun until the sport I loved decided to betray me. One bad-a** hit to the ground onto the opponent’s side of the court and the next thing I know I’m on the ground with my life flashing before my eyes.

Being told by a doctor that your knee looks like a grenade had exploded in it, isn’t exactly something you want to hear when all you can think about is whether or not you’ll be able to return your sport ever again. Now, obviously this may sound like an over-exaggeration, but this is exactly how I felt. I was sad. I was depressed. The one thing I could put all of my energy, anxieties, and frustration into, had just given me one of the worst injuries a volleyball player could experience; a complete ACL tear with slight medial meniscus damage, giving me about one year of recovery time.

After surgery, my depression grew after seeing how much of my muscle mass I had lost. 20 pounds gone with the snap of a finger and the energy that I withheld prior to my injury was non-existent. I thought my life was over; that I was going to be a worthless soul among the athletes in this universe.

What I didn’t know at the time was that my injury was going to be the most beneficial learning experience for me. I was already in the mind set that I wanted a career that revolved around sports, health, and fitness. But having this injury confirmed exactly what my passion is and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I then officially decided that Exercise Science with Pre-Professional and Fitness concentrations was right for me.

Through the pain and depression that I had experienced, I was able to encounter someone, my physical therapist, who is now my good friend and mentor. If I hadn’t had my injury, I wouldn’t have made such wonderful and meaningful connection with the person that carried me through every step of mental and physical recovery. She instilled strength, bravery and pure confidence into me and for that I have become a better version of myself and a much stronger version at that. I cherish every moment that I can spend nourishing my body and pushing it to its’ limits. I cherish the moment that I can touch a volleyball again (which is actually very soon).

Sport injuries are common and they do bring people down, but if you take advantage of what cards you’ve been dealt, then you will succeed and become stronger and better than you were before. If you’ve been through an injury, small or large, please be sure to tell me about it and how you’ve taken advantage of it! I would love to hear about it.