Injury from a sport can affect an athlete in many ways such as, psychically and mentally. Recovery for an athlete can take a while to recover from and getting back into routine the athlete had with their sport.  That did not stop the varsity catcher for the royal’s softball team, junior Abbey Willmann.

Willmann has been playing softball for eleven years and has a passion for playing. Willmann experienced an injury during a game of her sophomore year. She slid into third base, with her foot facing the wrong way. With the injury being severe, the recovery from the accident had time to heal.

“My recovery lasted for about three months,” Willmann said. “I had to bike a lot and even swim to gain muscle back in my leg if I wanted to play again.”

The recovery process can be different for athletes, with different accidents from the athletes. Athletes can even learn a lesson from the injury that had happened to them.

“The injury has taught me to always to be careful and not take an advantage of everyday things that I am capable of,” Willmann said. “It taught me that I can overcome breaking a bone and continue to play a sport that I love.”

An injury does not stop an athlete from playing a sport they admire. With having or experiencing an injury, it can motivate the athlete to do more and work harder at practices and games the athlete has. Motivation from the other teammates will motivate the athlete to recover and have a happier attitude with the injury.

“I love softball and that is why I kept working hard to be able to keep playing because I want to play as long as I can, the best part about softball is the team,” Willmann said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be playing and softball wouldn’t mean as much to me as it does now, the team is like a big family.” Photo contributed by Abbey Willmann.