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| Paulina Rein suffered a badly sprained ankle on Sept. 25 against New Paltz |
I’ve played four years of volleyball without a single
injury, but this all changed about two weeks ago. During one of the biggest
games of my senior year against New Paltz, on game point of the first set, I
came down wrong from a block and sprained my ankle… badly.
I cannot even begin to explain the feelings and emotions
running through me when it happened. I was in so much pain, shock, and was
super upset. I knew this wasn’t a little thing and that I wasn’t going to be
able to go back on the court for the rest of the game.
However, this post is not about what I’ve lost, but what
I’ve come to appreciate.
Anger
This injury brought out my anger because I have no
control over what’s happening on the court.
I see my teammates’ emotions unfold as I sit on the bench and I want to
shake everyone and tell them to have fun and relax. I understand that it’s easy
to say, and harder to actually do, but it’s frustrating to watch us play
mediocre volleyball when we’re a great team.
Against Penn St.-Behrend on Tuesday after we had a poor
first set I said to the team, “Do you guys realize that we play SUNYAC teams
this weekend, and only have one more practice after this game. So pick it up
and start playing like we only have two more days to prepare!”
After stepping up and getting the courage to express my
anger, I realized that my seriousness in what I had said made everyone realize
that it was time to step up and perform the way we should. My teammates had never
seen that side of me, but I think it showed them how upset I was, and that they
shouldn’t take their playing time for granted.
Kindness
I have always said I love Fredonia because everyone is so
nice, but that’s truer now than ever before.
I have no idea what I would do without our trainer, Kelly
Wilson. She and I have bonded a lot in
the last week because I’ve spent more time in the training room in a week than
I have in four years.
Kelly is doing everything and more to have me back on the
court. The excitement I see on her face when I get a little more movement of my
toes, or when we got the new ice boot just makes going to the training room
even more enjoyable. I have so much confidence in everything she is doing, and
cannot thank her enough for all the time she has been putting in to help me.
I also need to mention the New Paltz coach, Matt
Giufre. After the match ended he came to
talk to me. I wasn’t in the best mood when he came over, but he was so positive
and from then on I knew that I was going to get through my injury with a
positive attitude.
This especially meant a lot when he mentioned that his team
was concerned about how I was doing. One girl on the team, Becca Borquist, even
came up to me to say that if I do everything I can to get better I’ll be back
on the court in no time. The support
from another volleyball program showed me how genuine people can be. It is true
what people say, “The little things go a long way.”
And where would I be without my family, friends, and coaches?
I have the most amazing people in my life and their kindness and love have
helped me avoid breakdowns about not being able to play. I cannot express how
thankful I am for the simple texts I receive each day to cheer me up.
Being injured my last year of college volleyball breaks my
heart, but all the individuals in my life are making this terrible situation a
lot better. Even though being injured sucks, I’ve learned things that have
helped me grow.