Section 1: My Story

I grew up playing very competitive tennis. I trained over 10 hours a week when I was in middle

school and competed in tournaments all across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. I have

been playing for almost 13 years now and tennis is embedded into my identity.

The summer before my third high school season, I had begun training at a new program under a

new coach. The training was more intense than the summer camps that I had been to in previous

years. I was being pushed to my limits. Around early July that summer, I noticed an ache in my

lower back. It was a familiar pain that I had gotten before, so I brushed it off, and continued

practicing as usual. I complained to my parents about the pain every now and then, but I never

treated the pain as a serious issue. My mom would help massage the ache occasionally.

It was not until late August when the pain became more severe. I remember being on vacation,

walking along the street, and a sharp pain shooting up my spine and lower back region. I

mentioned the pain to my father, and he suggested that we go see a doctor once we got back to

America. That doctor’s visit never happened.

Fast forward to my junior season. I was playing a tough tryout match that went to a grueling tie

breaker. The intensity of the match was extremely high and I had to fully exert my body. By the

end of it, the pain in my back was excruciating. I had difficulty walking and I was shaking. I

hobbled down to the athletic trainer’s office with the help of one of my teammates. There, the

trainer told me that my pelvic bones were misaligned. One of my bones was pushing up into my

lower back muscle, causing the pain. He said the best way to fix this was with stretching. He led

me through exercises that seemed to tear all my ligaments in my back. The pain was nothing I

had ever experienced before. By the end of the session, I was feeling worse than when I initially

went in. The athletic trainer took me out of tennis.

I decided that I would need to seek professional help. My parents took me to a well-reviewed

orthopaedic doctor. He ordered me to take an X-ray. Once the X-ray results came back, he said

that there was something off about my spine. He hinted that I could have misaligned vertebrae in

my spine. This terrified my parents and I. I thought that I would be out for the entire season,

meaning that I would lose a chance at being captain of my team. I thought that my tennis would

be over and that this injury would have serious implications on my health. My parents feared the

same things. My doctor ordered an MRI to confirm the issue. For now, I was still not allowed on

to the court.

When the MRI results came back, we were all relieved to see that there was no major issue. The

X-ray had distorted the image of my spine, resulting in a false read. My injury was much less

severe than I had previously imagined. Instead of a spine misalignment, it ended up being a

muscle imbalance in the glute region, causing one pelvic bone to be higher than the other. I

completed 10 hours of professional physical therapy, as my injury was rooted in something that

could be solved with targeted exercises. I still do the physical therapy exercises to this day, a year

later.

One or two weeks later, I was back on court with a month left of my junior season. I was playing

almost normally with still some minor pain. I finished my season triumphantly, winning the

MAPL championship. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my tennis that year, and if I could have

prevented the injury. That was when I came up with the perfect idea for my Gold Award.

Section 2: Melissa

Melissa played soccer at a very high level for many years. She immediately made the varsity

soccer team as a new student. As a sophomore in high school, Melissa was seriously considering

getting recruited. Her skill was evident, and as long as she maintained her level of play, she

would have been able to receive offers from very competitive institutions.

During a game in the middle of her sophomore season, she noticed a pain in her knee. It was not

a super serious injury, but it still took her out of soccer for a week. She did rehab at the school

athletic trainer’s office for a week but then was cleared to play. Melissa still felt a bit of pain in

her knee but went back to playing regardless. That would be a serious mistake for her.

The first game back, her ACL totally exploded. She was in excruciating pain and had to go to the

hospital. In terms of her soccer career, Melissa’s torn ACL set her back in her sport completely.

Her injury was going to take a year of recovery so college soccer recruitment was no longer an

option for her. It took years of physical therapy and recovery for her to even be half as decent as

she used to be.

This severe issue affected Melissa academically. The severe pain became a big distraction for

her, and she found it hard to focus on school work. She also struggled with the feeling that she

had lost the one thing she thought she was good at (soccer). Without recruitment as an option,

Melissa was forced to lock in academically, and achieve higher grades than she had before. She

did not have recruiting to lean back on anymore.

Looking back, Melissa says that she does believe that this injury could be prevented. The pain in

her knee the week before she tore her ACL was an early indicator of something being wrong.

She wishes she took more time off and fully recovered before going back, making the situation

even worse. Her story shows the importance of listening to your body and recognizing the

importance of resting your body.

Story 3: Betty

Betty was also a very talented soccer player. She played all throughout her early years and even

made the varsity team as a freshman.

During her freshman season, someone kicked a soccer ball into her face from about three feet

away. Betty attempted to continue playing in the game but had to sit herself out later due to a

horrific headache. At the doctor’s office, she was later diagnosed with a concussion. This would

be a serious injury for her as this was her fourth concussion.

In her sport, Betty was unable to participate for several practices and had to miss a few games.

Because this was her fourth head injury, Betty became increasingly afraid of playing

aggressively, which is a huge part of being successful in soccer. This would affect her game a lot

late down the line.

In her personal life, Betty had to miss numerous really fun events at the beginning of the year

because she would get horrible headaches around loud noises and bright lights. Additionally,

because she has a robust history of head injuries, she still struggles with minor memory and brain

fog issues to this day.

Reflecting on the injury now, she says that there was little she could’ve done to prevent the

injury in the moment. Dodging the soccer ball coming for her head at that speed was almost

impossible. However, she does note that she could have worn a concussion headband that would

have helped prevent the injury.