Torn muscles, ripped ligaments, and dislocated appendages are only a few of the injuries Free State athletes have sustained mere weeks into the year.

Junior Tim Turner re-injured his shoulder on September 13th while doing tackling drills at football practice. Last year, Turner did the original damage to his shoulder around the third week into football season when he dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum ligament. He will be going into surgery at the end of September and will be out of contact sports for 6 months.

Regardless of the wait, he stays optimistic, “I know that even though it’s hurt and it’s kind of sore right now, it’s going to be repaired and I’m going to be much better in the future and there shouldn’t be any problems,” Turner said.

At the first home football game senior Devante Green injured his knee. Green suffered a complete tear of his MCL and a partial tear to his PCL, both knee ligaments.
“At first, it hurt and I thought it was just another injury,” Green said, “then I got up and I couldn’t put pressure on it and that’s when I knew something wasn’t right”.

Green started knee rehab September 21st and suffered no permanent damage besides that of an easier chance of re-tearing the ligaments in the future. If everything goes according to plan, Green should be back on the field in about three weeks.

While at a gymnastics meet, sophomore Brooke Leslie fell off bars and landed in-between two mats. Leslie’s main neck and back muscle were torn in the process. Leslie had to wear a neck brace for a few days and has been out of cheer and gymnastics for a few weeks.

“We’ve had a couple of nasty breaks, things that just look gross, in the end, they’ve been fine, they’re OK,” athletic trainer Anna Manternach said.

Manternach explains that the worst injuries aren’t usually the ones that look bad from the outside that most people expect to be really bad. “If I’ve got kids that lose feeling or function in the extremities and they tell me their back hurts, those are the ones that concern me the most,” Manternach said.

Thankfully, no serious permanent damage has been taken by anyone as of yet and everyone should eventually return to their sport.