A majority, if not all athletes, face challenges in their daily life. These challenges may be academic, physical, or mental. Academically, there are a lot of challenges to overcome. As a football player, your day begins early with before school practice or weights. Entering the hallways at the beginning of school, you are already sore and tired, yet you are supposed to focus on the task at hand.  Homework and tests add to a stressful situation, on top of playing the sport. Mentally, football is tough because whatever plans you have – football always gets in the way. For example, when you ask to stay the night at your friend’s house and then suddenly remember you have a football game the next morning.

Soccer player and student, Zach Garmon, 11, at The Bijou School was not able to play for a month, due to an ankle injury. Garmon has played the game for three years. He is excited to return to the game.

“It was a very traumatic experience, I had to be on crutches for a month, just for it not to heal correctly,” Garmon stated.

He went through a hospital visit, physical therapy, and got himself back in shape. With that, there were a lot of challenges that came his way, as in any sport. Many people choose not to play hazardous sports where there is a high risk of injuries. But ones that do, tend to show their heart and passion for that sport and they will not give up through adversity.

Overall being an athlete takes a lot of strength and guts. Being able to get “taken to the ground” and get back up is a lot to handle. Facing the academic, mental, as well as physical challenges of a sport allows you to find courage in ways that you were not aware of.