We see them perform. We see them make goals, score runs, earn points…but do we see what these athletes go through before every game or performance? What about the injuries they fight through? Many times, spectators can’t tell the difference between the athlete that is 100% healthy and the one who is battling an injury or attempting a comeback after time off.

Winter guard member junior Lauren Klotz, who suffered from an injury during the fall season of color guard, worked her way back to compete.

“I had jumped and landed wrong on my ankle our first practice on the new football field,” Klotz said.“I fractured my talus bone, a joint bone between my heel bone and my fibula/ tibula,” Klotz added.

Koltz was overcome with many emotions at the time of her injury, including fear and sadness.

“I was horrified,” Klotz said. “the worst part was I couldn’t perform at my last grand nationals since the band only goes every other year,” she added.

Sustaining this injury motivated Klotz to work harder for the winter guard season.

“I had to do a lot of PT. I took it easy for a while and iced my foot and just kept calm,” Klotz said. “I just hoped and prayed that it would get better,” she added.

Once healthy enough to join again, Klotz was relieved but cautious. 

“I made it back on the guard and was on the JV team this season,” Klotz said.“I felt like I would be judged by the team and like I was going to be treated like a cripple,” Klotz added.

With the winter guard season over for the JV team, Klotz prepares for this next fall season with the band.

“I’m nervous to come back for my final year but I know I can make it through,” Klotz said.

Klotz isn’t the only current athlete making a comeback. Soccer player junior Abigail Grisolano also suffered from an injury last season.

“Last season during soccer, I broke my collarbone,” Grisolano said. “I collided with the goal keeper and she rammed into me really hard and it just popped out,” she added.

To complicate matters, the broken collarbone wasn’t her only injury.

“I also broke my nose during basketball and soccer,” Grisolano said. “I had bumped heads with another player,” she added.

When Grisolano first injured herself, she reacted to it strangely.

“I kinda laughed and just stood up and said, ‘I think something’s wrong, my arm is just dangling here’,” Grisolano said. “I then went off and they said I broke my collarbone,” she added.

After this devastating of an injury, Grisolano felt defeated.

“What made me most upset was not being able to play. With my (broken) nose I could play with my cast, but my collarbone took longer,” Grisolano said. “It took about 3 months to heal,” she added

When Grisolano made it back on the field, she said the mental aspect is the hard part.

“Coming back this season, I was terrified. I thought the first collision I get in, it’s broken and I would need surgery,” Grisolano said.

Grisolano inner athlete’s voice told her to press on.  

“After I got back for the season, I really just had to break through that my mental barrier and had to just go for it,” Grisolano said. “Now I’m playing just fine,” she added.