Almost every year of high school, I’ve had an injury that forced me to sit out and watch from the bench, setting me behind from the rest of the team’s progression.

Freshman year, I broke my elbow and missed the first three weeks of wrestling. Sophomore year, I broke my wrist and had to miss a month of the wrestling season. As a senior, my final sports season, I separated my AC ligament during a rugby game and had to miss three weeks. Of course, my injuries could have been worse, and in a way I’ve been lucky with the timing of some of my injuries, since I never had a season ending injury. However, I still know the devastating feeling of having to sit out on the bench while my teammates play.

For any athletes who have been through a similar experience of being benched because of a sports injury, you know the depressing feeling of watching your team losing and wishing you could go out there and help them. You also know the feeling of watching your team win, but knowing you did little to contribute besides provide positive support.

While coming to practice and watching games while injured can give you a different view of how your team plays and works together, you miss the team bonding and the hard work that the team goes through. After watching my team play a tough rugby match, I saw what they went through, but I didn’t feel what they went through.

Another frustration is missing so many weeks sets you back as an athlete. When the season first starts you are usually on the same level as your teammates, but because of the injury, they keep practicing and getting better while you’re sitting out. This puts them on a higher level than you and your physicality is not the same as it was before the injury.

I can see how some people take an injury as an opportunity to take a break from the season. I know that injuries can be much deserved periods of rest sometimes, especially during a long season, but I think it’s important to show your commitment and support for the team by coming to the practices even if you can’t play.

In my experience, I was still able to do most of my daily routine because I only hurt parts of my arms. Anytime I get injured, I always try to stay in shape whether it be running or lifting. I do what I can so that I don’t come back to practice unprepared and out of training.

Being injured can also teach you to be humble. In the sports I play, I feel as though some people think they’re invincible just because they can play the sport. They feel that they are so good they can’t be stopped. There have been times where I thought the same thing, but I was snapped back to reality when an injury was inflicted on me and I was stuck wearing a cast or a brace of some kind, sitting on the sideline just watching.

My injuries have caused me to reflect on what I can do to prevent one in the future, and despite the pain they have made me a better team player in the long run.