Injuries can have a detrimental impact on student athletes, especially during an athlete’s recruitment process. Suffering from an injury is already difficult, but the mental and physical challenges of an injury during recruitment add more stress to an athlete, according to voiceinsports.com. Recruitment is a long and intricate task involving many conversations with coaches and colleges until athletes find the best fit. College coaches attend tournaments both during school season and club season to evaluate talent and observe athletes compete, according to ncsasports.org. When an injury prevents an athlete from showcasing their athletic skills to colleges actively recruiting, it often leads to mental stress and loss of motivation to get better. Therefore, student-athletes navigating both injuries and recruitment need strong support systems to help them manage both processes.
As an athlete, having a trusted support system makes the transitions that come with recruitment and recovery much easier. Positive influences such as being surrounded by athletes who have experienced similar injuries provides motivation to heal and offers reassurance that recruitment is still an option, according to preppreformancecenter.com. It is important for a support system to include a variety of people since this diversity allows for an athlete to seek different types of comfort, according to appliedsportspysch.org. Dr. Megan Cannon, an expert at Voice in Sports and sports psychologist, emphasized how crucial it is for injured athletes to have a trusted support system, according to voiceinsports.com.
“Talking to other athletes, getting support from a therapist or counselor and finding other hobbies in an injury situation are important,” Dr. Cannon said. “When you are sidelined, you no longer have an outlet, you need to have activities that remind you that you are more than just your sport.”
Strong support from coaches and parents allows student athletes to feel more comfortable and calm during the recruitment process. When facing an injury, having a coach’s support motivates athletes to not give up on the recruiting process. Coaches should always communicate to their athletes, emphasizing that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness, according to nfhs.org. A secure relationship between an athlete and a coach while recovering from an injury provides the athlete with guidance. Athletic Director Laurie Rousseau, spoke on the vision Sacred Heart Greenwich’s coaches have when working with the student athletes.
“Taking care of these girls is number one,” Mrs. Rousseau said. “We have put the trust in them so regardless if they are injured or scoring 50 goals, everyone has needs that need to be taken care of and everyone’s needs are different, even if you are playing.”
While injuries during recruitment can significantly impact a student athlete’s college career, many athletes work hard to recover and continue their athletic careers in college and beyond. Consistent communication between college recruiters and athletes is essential to show interest, regardless of an injury. Mrs. Rousseau shared some important advice for athletes going through the recruitment process.
“I think they need to just regularly contact coaches,” Mrs. Rousseau said. “Put themselves out there. In order to get recruited, you need to be able to sell yourself, so do not expect coaches to come to you. I have heard from a lot of college coaches that they did not know girls were interested because they had not reached out. So it is on the student athlete to get out there and communicate with the coaches.”
Feature Image by Gianna Rodrigues ’27
