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So Much More than Volleyball
By Faith Kahlig
Edison State Communications Student
As I was in the locker room, putting on my jersey, the nerves started
kicking in. This game was the biggest game of the season. It was the
Fort Recovery Indians versus the St. Henry Redskins. Fort Recovery
hasn’t beaten St. Henry in years. As a freshman, I was very nervous.
Finally warm ups ended and the game was about to begin. The crowds from
both teams were showing their spirit very loud and proud. As each point
went on, the gym got louder. My adrenaline is what kept me going,
although my energy was wearing out by the fifth set. We were down by
two points with the Redskins leading the set 8-6. St.
Henry tips the ball over the net. I dove too quickly get the ball until
suddenly there was excruciating pain in my right shoulder after I hit
the ground. As I slowly made my way up off of the ground, I looked down
and saw my bone trying to pop through my jersey. It appeared to be a
dislocated shoulder. I remained calm until the athletic trainer came to
pop it back into place. Little did I know, I would be popping my
shoulder back in everyday after that.
Volleyball was my passion, so to sit out for the rest of the season was
a challenge. I spent everyday popping my shoulder back into place. I
went to therapy and saw four different doctors. All of the doctors told
me to keep doing therapy to tighten my shoulder back up again. The
therapy was not working. Finally I found a doctor/surgeon who gave me a
different opinion. He suggested that surgery was the best option. He
found out I was very hyper mobile which caused my shoulder to dislocate
so often. After the MRI, I found out I tore my rotator cuff and labrum.
This surgery was definitely not an easy six month recovery. Although
through the pain, I made it through to get cleared for volleyball
again. I was definitely very nervous yet excited to be back on the
court. I took things very slowly and worked my way back into the groove
of things. I was bumped down to JV, which is what I expected. Sadly
enough that was my last year of volleyball.
As I wrapped up my sophomore year of volleyball, my other shoulder
started falling out of socket. This shoulder was much worse than the
first surgery. I broke my humerus, and tore my rotator cuff and labrum.
This resulted in a 9 month recovery. Even though quitting volleyball
and going through fifteen months of recovery it was all worth it. This
experience taught me patience, commitment and dedication. I saw life as
so much more than just volleyball. I got to enjoy the little things in
life rather than being in a gym practicing for hours on end.
This experience changed my life.
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