In sports, injuries are something that seems to be occurring more occasionally. Whether it’s as non-contact as golf or as brutal as football, there is always a possibility of injury. They can range from taking a day to months or even years to heal, depending on their severity.

Two Wilkes athletes interviewed spoke of their recent injuries that are currently keeping them sidelined until they can get back into action.

One of the athletes interviewed was 6’2″ junior captain guard Devin Dunn of the men’s basketball team. Dunn is recovering from a torn meniscus, which he suffered back in January.

He did not know he had suffered the injury until two months later, when he got the x-rays back. As a result, Dunn had surgery this past April and hopes to be back on the court for the Colonels on the first day of the season, October 15.

The other athlete interviewed is a member of the football team, freshman Right Tackle Alex Hollingshead. He suffered a hairline fracture on his forearm earlier this season.

Like Dunn, he did not know the severity of the injury when it first occurred. Initially, Hollingshead thought it was just a stinger that would go away in a few minutes, since he could not move his whole arm right away.

When asked about their injuries, the most striking difference was when they were asked what the most difficult part of the recovery process was.

Dunn replied saying, “Physical therapy. It’s like two and a half hours a day, and it’s tough and difficult.” On the other hand,

Hollingshead replied “Taking math quizzes since I broke my dominant arm and also not being able to play football every week.”

Some similarities that stood out were the fact that neither athlete suffered a serious injury before the injury they are currently facing. The main similarity was when asked “What is the main thing that motivates you to recover from your current injury?”

Hollingshead replied, “Being able to have a fast recovery so I can compete with my teammates again and earn back some playing time.”

Likewise, Dunn said, “The love of the game. It sucks sitting on the sidelines watching the guys play and not being able to play is miserable.”

The main idea is that for athletes, an injury does not make them weaker, it only makes them stronger.

Although getting an injury is a major setback, having the fortitude and mental toughness to overcome a serious injury is what makes the athlete stronger and what allows him or her to get back on the court or field to be with their teammates and compete alongside teammates, which they consider to be like family.