How Sports Changed My Life

When I was younger, something that really changed me was when I broke my wrist and couldn’t play the sports that I wanted. I was in a game of lacrosse, a teammate tried to catch the ball that was thrown however it ricocheted off of his stick and slammed into my wrist. I was wearing protective gloves with ceramic plating, however there was still immediate swelling and I could barely move my hand. My coaches forced me to sit out for the rest of the game and I was told that if the swelling doesn’t go down in the next couple hours I was looking at missing the rest of the season. Leading up to this injury, I had been playing sports for years. It started as a way for me to just burn off excess energy but I actually really enjoyed it. I started playing lacrosse, football, soccer, and baseball all on different teams. I played on recreational teams at first to get a feel for different sports, and then it evolved into a love and passion for them. Sports helped me focus, it gave me something to work for in school, and a place to take my anger out. For a long time I thought the only way I was ever going to be able to go to college was if I got a scholarship for playing

Even in my more minor injuries though I was so independent I wouldn’t let people take my notes for me while my finger was lucky to even be healing crooked. I held my pen in my fist to take notes in class before I let someone do it for me, accepting help has never been something i’m known to do. This was especially true during the stint of my broken wrist, I wanted to do everything on my own and physically I wasn’t able to. People had to help me in school because I wasn’t able to take notes, draw, color, essentially anything that required me to hold something. I had to suck up my pride and actually ask for help, instead of doing everything myself like I was accustomed to