For student athletes at CHS, being injured doesn’t just mean sitting on the sidelines.
In the back corner of Stuber Gym, several injured students can be found visiting athletic trainer Carrie Sickmann in her office.
“I’m a first-responder,” Sickman said. “So, basically, when athletes get hurt on the field it’s my job to find out what their injury is and if it’s necessary for me to evaluate them and treat them on my own, or send them to find care somewhere else. By either ambulance or physician.”
Junior Elle Jacobs has been visiting Sickmann for training sessions for the last week, ever since she injured herself while playing for the CHS tennis team:
“I was playing in a doubles tournament and I fell on my leg and I sprained my ankle,” Jacobs said. “I won’t be able to play for two or three weeks.”
Jacobs has missed playing for the tennis team and being able to participate with the rest of her teammates. She hopes that continuing to visit Strickmann after school for ankle stretches will help her return to the team as soon as possible:
“It’s hard for me to see all of my teammates dress up for practice,” Jacobs said. “I can’t play, so that’s kind of annoying.”
Junior Michael Takes had a soccer injury early in the school year and has been visiting the personal training room for the duration of his injury.
“I took a bad fall on field six in Shaw, tore ligaments in my ankle, dislocated my knee…” Takes said. “I haven’t played for like a month.”
Although Takes is returning to the team this week, he believes it will be hard to return to the sport after sitting out for such a long injury.
“I’ve been out for a month, so fitness will be a problem,” Takes said.
Sickmann understands that it’s often hard for student athletes to sit on the sidelines.
“I would probably say [the hardest part is] not being able to be with their team…” Sickmann said. “They’re still a part of their team, but not being able to play is probably the hardest thing for them.”