According to atyourownrisk.com, 54 percent of athletes claim to have experienced an injury of some fashion throughout their career. When injured, athletes can’t go right back into playing. Rehab and physical therapy are essential to ensure the betterment of each player. For some athletes, the healing only takes a couple days. However for others, the healing process may be more long term. Har-Ber athletes, such as sophomore Counts Shanks, are in the midst of their recovery and are currently working towards getting back on the stage, court, or field. 

“I initially tore my ACL completely when I was in 8th grade,” Shanks said. “At the Rogers game, during half time we were doing our country kick routine and I landed into my splits and my meniscus tore then.”

For Shanks, rehab will be more of a long term process than that of a sprain. However, the dancer is working towards being back on the dance floor as soon as she can.

“It’s been quite a process and lots of physical therapy, which has become my new home I feel like,” Shanks said. 

According to Shanks, she has still been cheering on the sidelines and showing her support for the team and school the best she can and that support has been reciprocated from her teammates. Senior infielder Evan Evans has also experienced the support of his teammates as a result of his recent injury. 

“They probably all saw how it downed me, but they’ve all texted me and picked me up and encouraged me,” Evans said. 

Like Shanks, Evans’ injury happened while he was participating in the sport. 

“We were in practice and I was hit by the pitch in my arm when I was up to bat,” Evans said, “I have a broken ulna, which is the top of my left arm.”

Although Evans’ recovery time overlaps with the first few games of the season, he still does what he can in practice. 

“I’ve been able to do legs, since I can’t use my left arm and just work on my lower body,” Evans said. 

Injuries aren’t stopping the athletes at Har-Ber. Senior women’s basketball player and ACL tear victim, Alyssa Banks has been doing her best to stay in shape, doing everything that doesn’t involve legs. 

“I’m not able to do any workouts that involve running, but what I can do is upper body strength,” the women’s shooting guard said. 

According to Banks, she went weeks without even knowing she had torn her ACL, until it hit her one day in practice. 

“I was hoping it would last me through season, but it gave out one day,” Banks said. 

As reported by weinsteinlegal.com, there are an estimated 2 million injuries resulting from high school sports. These athletes as well as many more at Har-Ber are among this number and are working hard in practice to stay in shape and bounce back as soon as possible.