Injuries are a part of sports. Anyone who plays the games long enough experiences some type of injury. Collegiate athletes play at a high level and most end up at some point during the course of the year in our athletic training room. Often teams with the most success are the ones who avoid key injuries during their season. Coaches do everything they can to prepare athletes for the rigors of the physicality in their sport. Sometimes it works, sometimes freak plays get in the way and injuries occur.
Our women’s soccer team has been bitten by the injury plague this season. Three standout players, Amanda Tinker, Molly Harpe, and Emily Brown have suffered season-ending injuries in games this season. Bailey Miller, another standout player, has missed several games. Because of these injuries, a season of high expectations has turned into a massive struggle for Coach Gary Winchester’s squad. Until Saturday that is, when a short-handed squad played its finest game of the season, defeating Newberry, 1-0, at Huggins Field. The players were incredible but the most noticeable thing on Saturday was the three team members out for the season. Being an injured team member is hard on anyone. No athlete likes to suffer and watch from the sideline as your teammates fight for a win especially when you are an excellent player. Yet Saturday was special to watch. Gary Winchester is a demanding coach but instructions for the Flying Fleet players came Saturday from more than Coach Winchester. The wounded Fleet of Tinker, Harpe, and Brown were doing much of the instructing and encouraging of teammates. They didn’t spend their time sulking on the bench about their injuries. Instead they got involved in the game the only way they could, as coaches. The win was a proud moment for Erskine women’s soccer and those young women had much to do with it even though their prolific skills could not be used on the field.
It is said that losing doesn’t just build character, it reveals it. I would say the same for injuries. People often show their character when hurt. Over the years I have seen many young people have season-ending injuries and no longer participate in team activities possibly because of they have lost their self-worth by not being able to play anymore. Last basketball season, Marko Latinovic, a senior from Serbia went down with a season-ending knee injury and completely changed his role on the team. Marko went from a star forward to a star encourager and spent much of his time mentoring a freshman who had taken his place. It was an incredible selfless act from a senior who would never play another collegiate game. I saw the same type of character from Molly Harpe, Amanda Tinker, and Emily Brown on Saturday. They won’t get any of the credit that Kimrey Angotti-Smith received from her goal or Casey Craft from her assist or Si’Ara Washington for her shutout in goal, but they were highly responsible for the win. Marko Latinovic will heal soon from his knee injury and have a successful professional playing career in Serbia. And Molly and Emily will return next year as two of the league’s best players. Good things will happen to all of them but we have already seen a clear vision of outstanding character, a trait that will long outlast any athletic career.
Our women’s soccer team has been bitten by the injury plague this season. Three standout players, Amanda Tinker, Molly Harpe, and Emily Brown have suffered season-ending injuries in games this season. Bailey Miller, another standout player, has missed several games. Because of these injuries, a season of high expectations has turned into a massive struggle for Coach Gary Winchester’s squad. Until Saturday that is, when a short-handed squad played its finest game of the season, defeating Newberry, 1-0, at Huggins Field. The players were incredible but the most noticeable thing on Saturday was the three team members out for the season. Being an injured team member is hard on anyone. No athlete likes to suffer and watch from the sideline as your teammates fight for a win especially when you are an excellent player. Yet Saturday was special to watch. Gary Winchester is a demanding coach but instructions for the Flying Fleet players came Saturday from more than Coach Winchester. The wounded Fleet of Tinker, Harpe, and Brown were doing much of the instructing and encouraging of teammates. They didn’t spend their time sulking on the bench about their injuries. Instead they got involved in the game the only way they could, as coaches. The win was a proud moment for Erskine women’s soccer and those young women had much to do with it even though their prolific skills could not be used on the field.
It is said that losing doesn’t just build character, it reveals it. I would say the same for injuries. People often show their character when hurt. Over the years I have seen many young people have season-ending injuries and no longer participate in team activities possibly because of they have lost their self-worth by not being able to play anymore. Last basketball season, Marko Latinovic, a senior from Serbia went down with a season-ending knee injury and completely changed his role on the team. Marko went from a star forward to a star encourager and spent much of his time mentoring a freshman who had taken his place. It was an incredible selfless act from a senior who would never play another collegiate game. I saw the same type of character from Molly Harpe, Amanda Tinker, and Emily Brown on Saturday. They won’t get any of the credit that Kimrey Angotti-Smith received from her goal or Casey Craft from her assist or Si’Ara Washington for her shutout in goal, but they were highly responsible for the win. Marko Latinovic will heal soon from his knee injury and have a successful professional playing career in Serbia. And Molly and Emily will return next year as two of the league’s best players. Good things will happen to all of them but we have already seen a clear vision of outstanding character, a trait that will long outlast any athletic career.
