“If you are very determined and very into your sport, I know that there are people who will ignore an injury until the next race and say, ‘It’s just one race. I can race it. I can do well and then I can fix myself up after that,’ ” said senior Alison Rowe, a member of the girls varsity cross country team.
For overuse injuries, it is up to the athlete to be proactive in treating his or her injury, said BHS athletic trainer Alex Jzyk. Over the years, athletes have been more willing to go see him if something is wrong.
“It’s the difference between knowing when you’re hurt and when you’re injured,” said Jzyk. “When you’re hurt, there are things that you can push through. When you’re injured, taking some time off and getting proper treatment for it is important.”
Coaches have also been more cautious when it comes to preventing injuries.
“People on the team don’t ignore the advice of people who know what’s going on,” said Rowe. “I think that a lot of times, people are reluctant to take that day off or spend it cross-training, but they know that it’s going to be better for them in the long run.”
According to Rowe, Michael DeYoung, coach of the girls cross country team, has been proactive in preventing injuries amongst his runners and making sure that they treat them.
“The team has been doing a really good job making sure that we all are properly stretched out before and after a run to keep things from happening,” said Rowe.
Senior Sally Ruderman, a member of the girls varsity crew team, said her coach, Joel Skaliotis, wants to know when an athlete is hurt.
“He wants to know if you’re in physical therapy or if you have to do some special stretches or if you can only do a certain amount of rowing per a day,” said Ruderman. “He definitely wants to know that and he wants to make sure you’re working on getting it better.”
Jzyk encourages students to look ahead.
“We want to see you out there, just as much as you want to be out there,” said Jzyk. “We’re not trying to take you out for no reason. We don’t get paid per-injury treatment. We’re here to help you guys.”
