Student athletes are known to be more susceptible to injuries over students who don’t partake in much physical activity. What is not as noticeable is that they are still open to getting sick just like everyone else. Colds, flus, allergies, stomach bugs, fevers, and plenty of other kinds of sickness can affect these players just as easily. It can be rough trying to give your all when you don’t have a lot to give.

Playing sports takes up a lot of energy, and most of the body’s energy is used up trying to fight off the sickness. It’s not always easy to keep on keeping on during a season when the only thing people want to do is lay in bed and wish these ailments away. Because of their love of what they do, however, most of these athletes push through sickness and play to the best of their ability.

“I just love the sport so much and I want to win,” Lucille Smith said, thinking back to her Junior basketball season, “Whether it slowed me down or not, I stayed on the court. Even if I was forced to the bench, I was cheering my team on the whole time.” Meghan Anderson also shared her thoughts on being sick whilst in the middle of a game. “I stay in the game when I’m sick, but I’m usually a little slowed down because I’m a little more worried about the snot dripping out of my nose rather than the game itself.”

Other than just physically feeling bad, being sick while playing a sport can affect players emotionally too. “I felt like I was letting my team down, and it sucked.” Molly McNeil commented. This seemed to be the response of almost all players whose performance had been hindered due to an illness. When players are moved to the sidelines, it can be hard to watch their team either suffer or succeed without them. On and off the court, sickness is no fun, but there comes a time when a dedicated athlete has to power through and keep working hard.