SPORTS
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Physical injuries weigh heavy mentally on student athletes Abigail Nevin ’23
the things I truly loved and it was really hard to just sit with my leg propped up for a month.” Competitive athletes balance a non-stop, strenuous athletic schedule with schoolwork in their everyday lives. It can be a shock to have that pattern disrupted. Similar to Smith, Meredith Mulhern ’23 had structured her life around sports. Tearing both of her ACLs on opposite legs within the span of two years while ski-
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n order to stay efficient, high school athletes must balance sports, social life and school work. However, this specified schedule becomes severely disrupted when an athlete becomes injured, taking a large toll on the mental and physical health of an athlete. As a member of the Staples varsity soccer, ski and lacrosse team, it is no question that Kate Smith ’22 is an impressive athlete. However, throughout her career, not unlike many other athletes, Smith has faced major setbacks including her most recent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and surgery earlier this year. “I have been playing soccer and lacrosse since before I can remember [and have] been skiing ever since I was 2 years old,” Smith said. “Growing up with a brother who also loved playing sports, I immersed myself in athletics at a very early age.” Many may believe that going through the recovery process for an injury as severe as Smith’s would be tougher physically than mentally, yet she claims the opposite. “I would say the injury hurt me more mentally than physically,” Smith said. “My daily life was completely flipped around. I couldn’t do
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ROAD TO RECOVERY Kate Smith is juggling her ACL recovery while being the manager of the soccer team. She is hopeful she will heal in time for her senior ski season.
ing and playing competitive lacrosse was detrimental to her overall mental health. “Watching my friends play sports while I couldn’t play was really tough,” Mulhern said. “After tearing my ACL [for the second time] playing lacrosse, the recovery was mentally even harder. It was extremely challenging to feel like a lot of the hard work that I had been putting in to get cleared from my first inju-
ry was now for nothing.” Head coach for the girls’ soccer team at Staples, Barry Beattie, has seen many of his most prized athletes combat serious injuries that require immense mental strength for recovery, aside from physical. As a coach, he recognizes the stress that overwhelms athletes as they recover from injury, and he understands what the best methods are to help them stay positive. “Most of the help we give [the athletes] is mental support,” Beattie said. “It’s about keeping the player involved so they feel like they have a role in the team and can contribute even if they are off the field.” Smith has found a prominent role in her team since her injury by becoming one of the girls’ soccer team managers. “What also helps to push me is being manager of the girls soccer team,” Smith said. “Seeing those girls work so hard in practice every day and seeing the excitement on their faces after scoring and winning games made me extremely eager to be back on that field, making those memories with them.” Although the recovery process is long and difficult, the reward of being back on the team is all worth it, as Smith recalls. “There’s nothing I miss more than the rush of being on a Staples team and I’m so excited to get back.” Photos contributed by Kate Smith ’22.
