Concussions, multiple sprained ankles and torn ligaments. Months off the team. Is it worth it? The toll of sports, in the physical sense, is an unavoidable component to sports. Sports are meant to meet friends, blow off steam, and live a healthy lifestyle. But with the countless advantages comes the physical toll of practicing for hours after school, day after day, for years.

Nina Perkkio – Soccer, Hockey

Senior Nina Perkkio has played sports for all four years of high school, focusing on soccer in the fall and hockey in the winter. She has gotten concussions in both sports, and countless sprained ankles from soccer, where it is so easy to roll an ankle on the field. She was out for one and a half months for the first concussion and two and a half for the second, but, she said that for recovery time,”It really depends on how bad the injury is.”

Injuries, especially concussions, are bound to affect academic work. “I missed a lot of school for [the concussions].” Being a part of an after school activity like sports or plays usually improved academic performance. For Perkkio, “Not being able to participate in sports after school to destress and be with the team; it’s harder to get work done because you don’t have that time to come back together.” In the end, Perkkio believes sports are definitely worth the cost.

“The sports I play are really hard on my body. Almost every day I have pain of some sort.  But it’s worth it. There’s going to be pain in sports; it’s just part of the game.”

Josh Gray – Basketball

Senior Josh Gray jumped up to take a shot over an opposing six foot player, missed, and came down on the player’s foot. His ankle twisted and broke, and he was off the basketball court for two months. After working with a physical trainer for months he was able to start walking without crutches, then jogging, and eventually he made his way back on to the court.

While this happened near the beginning of the basketball season this year, this was not Gray’s first encounter with sports injuries. During freshman year he sprained and tore ligaments in the same ankle he later broke. “The doctor told me it would have been better if I had broken it,” Gray said. During junior year he got a concussion from soccer.

Gray still weighs the benefits over the injuries. “It comes with the game,” he said. He recognized the physical toll sports take, saying he often comes to school sore after a hard practice. But for Gray, sports have helped him academically, and this far outweighs occasional soreness. “I have to focus more on homework when I get home from practice or a game,” he said.

Ian Sussna – Cross Country, Track

Sophomore Ian Sussna has what is known as patellofemoral syndrome. This means the muscles on the sides of his leg are weak. This hadn’t mattered to him until one day in cross country practice when his knee started hurting. The next day the team had a 5K, and “Instead of going easy, I decided to push it,” he said. He knee hurt even worse and he went to the doctor to  see what had happened. Because his leg muscles were weak, they didn’t hold his knee into place, and he knee shifted out of place when he ran.

This happened in early November last year at the end of cross country season. Luckily, he only had to miss one last meet because of his injury. It took a couple of months for Sussna to recover while wearing a knee brace. Other than occasional ankle pain from having flat feet, he hasn’t had to endure other injuries.

Injuries are a common occurrence in athletes, and they seem to be hard to avoid. But students agree that despite the consequences of pushing yourself too hard in a game or practice, the benefits of sports are worth it.