Athletes Understand Injury is a Risk of Athletics
February 1, 2023
Injury is something that all athletes have to worry about. Every time an athlete plays a game he/she has the potential to get hurt, even when it is least expected. On January 2nd, 2023, during a National Football League game, safety for the Buffalo Bills, Damar Hamlin stood up after tackling Tee Higgins, receiver for the Bengals, just to take two steps and then collapse. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field and CPR had to be done.
Millions watched on television as his heartbeat was found on the field, and he was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition. The NFL decided to cancel the game because so many players and staff were in shock at what they had witnessed. On Friday, January 6th Damar had his breathing tube removed and began to walk and recover.
A situation like this could happen to anyone anywhere, and athletes here at Great Crossing High School have been reminded of that from Hamlin’s experience. Vince Dawson, a sophomore basketball player shared his reaction. “When Damar got injured, I was feeling shocked, confused and worried not only for him, but for the people he loved. If something like this were to happen to myself or one of my teammates I wouldn’t know what to do, but I do think our trainers have enough experience to help the situation.”
Kamorah Tillman, a soccer player at Great Crossing, also shared how she felt when she watched this injury happen. “I was just shocked at the sudden injury, and I began to think how this could happen to anyone, almost without notice. It made me realize just how lucky I have been to avoid any major injuries.”
Austin Haywood, Great Crossing’s Athletic Director, is always concerned about safety. He explained that the school continues to talk about safety often. “The Damar Hamlin situation definitely raised awareness for athletics at all levels. We sent reminders pertaining to our local Emergency Action Plan, so coaches have it fresh on their minds what to do in case of emergency. Each year, we revise and update our Great Crossing High School Emergency Safety Plan. This plan covers a number of emergency situations and provides a list of staff in the building who are CPR, First Aide, AED and Safe Crisis Management certified, as well as those staff members who are bilingual and are equipped with any specific skill that could be used in an emergency situation,” explained Haywood.
Haywood shared the medical assistance we have, “We are lucky to have athletic trainers from Bluegrass Orthopedics serve our athletic teams. They serve as the first responders if a student is in critical condition. All paid coaches are required to be CPR certified, and every practice/game requires a paid, CPR/First Aid/AED certified coach to be with their team.”
Safety is something that these athletes choose to risk for the sport they love. Incidents like these may make some question if it is worth a severe injury. Ava Schureman, a junior for the girl’s basketball team said, “I think when you choose to play a sport, the safety part is not something that you can just do something to avoid. So you somewhat agree to knowing that you’re not prevented from injury when you choose to be an athlete.”
Tillman agrees that overall safety is important for both the team and individual players. She said, “My safety is extremely important, but while I am in a game, I have a responsibility to my team. The best way I can protect myself is by playing my position correctly. My safety has to come before my sport, because I have family and friends who depend on me.”
When incidents like Hamlin’s happen, many people may debate whether the NFL and other organizations give these athletes enough protection in their gear and do we have enough technology to protect them. Athletes at GCHS believe they do have adequate resources available to keep them safe. Schureman said “I don’t think this accident was very avoidable. The football players already have a lot of padding, and the NFL could not have done much to stop it. As long as there are medical professionals there during games, I don’t think there is much they can do to avoid accidental injuries.”
Chucky Wilson, a GCHS senior football player was hurt during his football season, and he was satisfied with the response to his accident that resulted in a grade 3 MCL tear on his left knee. “When I got hurt, Coach Bowling and Coach Smith came over to check on me along with our trainer, Ellen, and a doctor from Bluegrass Orthopaedics. When they made sure I was ok, they helped me off the field and the doctors assessed me on the sideline and told me what was probably wrong and told me to go to the BGO center the next morning for a full evaluation.”
While there are many concerns for our athletes safety, the amount of resources we have helps bring confidence to athletes and staff knowing that we could handle a situation like this. Tillman said “By having the coaches learn CPR and by having the AED machines, I feel as if we are taking steps in the right direction to making sure we can keep athletes stable. While there are always further actions we can take, this training and equipment combined with athletic trainers assigned to games gives me hope that our school would be able to handle a situation such as this.”
