Many student-athletes go through the college recruitment process with the hopes of continuing their athletic career in college and beyond. They devote years of athletic commitment and consistent work leading up to the end of their high school career, waiting for a college coach to offer them a spot on their roster. However, lack of physical maintenance may lead to a season or even career-ending injury.

At Hackley, it is difficult to stay consistent and committed to one sport when there is an expectation to play a different sport or athletic practice each season, in or outside of school. Dedication is what enables athletes to consistently improve and be at the top of their game.

Throughout one’s high school career, an athlete only has four seasons to play their sport. Throughout those four seasons, each moment a high-school athlete spends playing a sport is an opportunity to demonstrate their improvement and the skills needed to play at the college level. Despite the limited time given, issues arise when an athlete gets injured, resulting in more time off the field.

According to The National Library of Medicine, 90 percent of all student-athletes sustain an injury while playing a sport. Although an injury doesn’t have to be significant, it still keeps prospective college athletes in the training room instead of with their team. For every second one plays a sport, the likelihood of sustaining an injury increases, and that is detrimental for student-athletes as injury may lead to missing practices and games, which could hurt one’s chance at a recruitment offer.

As a result of this intimidating factor in athletics, student-athletes worry and take precautions in order to secure their future and prevent career-ending injuries, such as exercising before they play.

“Personally, I have had a lot of hamstring problems over the years, so it has been really important for me to stretch out my legs before practice,” said senior football captain and Wesleyan University football and baseball commit Sam Suniewick.

Stretching and using other precautions such as cooldowns after a workout are critical in lowering one’s chances of injury. This does not just keep your mobility up, but your time on the field, which is key for college recruitment.

Many student-athletes worry about how notable an injury will be for their athletic career and their ability to be recruited. According to the National College Scouting Association, injuries can relate to scholarships being either pulled or not being renewed for the next year. Evidently, depending on the severity of the injury, scholarships or recruitment can be pulled, which could be detrimental for athletes who rely on recruitment offers to get into college.

Head Athletic Trainer Katherine Jenson said, “The other thing is strength training, even when you’re in season, doing a lift two times or once a week, to do something to maintain strength … helps especially if you’re prone to knee pain or ankle pain.”

Ms. Jenson says that maintaining mobility and strength both during the season and the off-season is especially important in preventing injury. Lifting, stretching, and any kind of workout are essential, even after playing for hours in practice every day. To ensure an athlete’s on-field playability and chance of obtaining an offer, a student-athlete must not just balance sports practices and games but also balance school work and mobility workouts, which can be time-consuming and difficult.

It is especially important for coaches and captains at Hackley to promote and utilize injury-prevention tools before, during, and after any sort of workout, in order to help players stay in the game and push away injury. Student-athletes who are trying to receive recruitment offers and scholarships have to juggle more than just their skills in their sport to ensure their on-field playability.