When injured...

Back story:
Its been 5 1/2 weeks since we started practice for the winter season and unfortunately I feel like I've only been practicing for 1 week. August 2nd I got reconstructive foot surgery (bunionectomy plus a double osteo-something or other) on my right foot. My foot looked somewhat like this and I was fed up of having pain in my foot, shoes not fitting right, and a resulting knee pain from compensating. This was discovered my junior year of high school but I kept putting it off until this year. I wanted my senior season to be incredible and by fixing my foot, I felt like I could be a better athlete. The date Aug 2 was decided upon. 2-3 weeks in crutches, 1-2 weeks in a boot, 1-2 weeks recovering and BOOM - I'm good to go on Sept 20.

However, complications occurred.

To make a long story short and spare you from all of the yummy details about my tendons and bones, crutches and the boot were finally removed 18 weeks after surgery on Nov 24 but I was only allowed to start running on my foot Dec 22. Even now, 7.5 weeks after that occurred, I still cannot bend my big toe all the way which makes running and jumping extremely difficult.

I want so badly to play at 100% with my teammates but I cannot yet. Little movements like marking and sprinting are incredibly hard to do which makes playing Ultimate not the easiest task. I didn't think my senior season was going to be spent on the sidelines. Granted, there is still a long time before the Series and I have time to recover - but it is still annoying.

I've definitely had times of being a Negative Nancy where I've thought I will never be able to bend my big toe again, not being able to run as fast, or start to digress and become a terrible Ultimate player. Surprisingly though, I have found some positives amidst the standing on the sidelines. If you are injured, I encourage you to take part in the following activities:

1. Watch the field. Many times on the sideline I have just watched the movement of the disc. But you need to do more than just that. You need to watch how players are setting up their cuts, how they are moving down the field, and how the defense is responding. Understanding patterns and timing can only help improve your game. All of this time on the sideline has really helped me evaluate my game in comparison to what I am seeing - which is extremely helpful, especially for when I eventually get back out there at full force.
2. Cheer your heart out. You have no excuse not to cheer for your team when injured (of course if you have gone mute, I will give you a pass). If you are remaining positive and encouraging your teammates when they are playing, it will only help them. Many times in the fall, either at Fall Brawl or CCC, I found myself out of breath. Not because of running up and down the sidelines (crutches make that kind of difficult...) but because I was cheering my teammates on. Everyone appreciates it and it is something anyone can do, regardless of skill, talent, or athleticism. Just bring a loud voice!
3. Talk to your players. While you may not be able to make a great catch or throw to impact the game, you can definitely change the outcome from the sidelines. Assign yourself to talk each point to someone (I require that everyone on my team do so regardless of injury status - but especially do so if you are injured) and let them know what is going on. On the mark let them know if it is an inside throw or an around throw. In the backfield, let them know if there is a threat deep or in. Call "UP!" or "Strike!" or other informative things. If you can successfully talk to your girl, and she responds, you can really change the outcome of a game
4. Take care of yourself. There have been so many times where I have wanted to play or push myself a little more but really I shouldn't. I would rather be 100% for the Series because I was careful during the season than be 70% at Natties because I tried to help my team win a few games at Pres Day, Easterns, or Centex. This is WAY easier to say than do because I've already violated it during our Michigan Indoor. I really should not have played one point but all I wanted to do was get out there and play for the first time since College Nationals. Since then, I have tried to be really good at this and have limited the amount I play and what I do. Pres Day is coming up and I should really read this post 88395285 times before then and 2989374982 during the weekend
5. Work out in a way that is beneficial. If you cannot run, try biking or swimming. If you cannot move your shoulders, try squats or lunges. Working on your core is really easy to do since there are so many different exercises. Do things to keep you somewhat in shape - it will only make your return that much easier.

I'm sure there are more things to do when injured, but I need to stop procrastinating. Studying about Malaria and Small Pox is calling my name. Lucky me