What if you want to show your sport/athletic passion but are injured/unconditioned

<p>I really love sports (every single one actually) but recently I sustained injuries to my joints (still getting them checked out). All of the spring sports have started and I've just joined the JV swim team. I can still function with them and participate but it seems like they aren't fully healed. I just don't want to injure myself anymore but I love sports and I want to show it when I apply to colleges. Thus, me joining swim is both for the love, "health," and to show colleges my passion. </p>

<p>I'm not sure what I should do. What could I tell my coach (he is very lax) about my health condition? Sometimes we do dry land exercises and I don't think my joints can handle the impact that well. I don't really want to stop sports bececause of all of those reasons above. I want to optimize my opportunities and not just plain swim at a gym (which I have done recently). I just haven't conditioned during most of this school year and I don't feel ready to go "all out."</p>

<p>be a manager. help coach/coach a little kids team. etc.</p>

<p>Yeah, but the thing is I'm taking 5 APs and I just don't have time for anything else (I do other extracurriculars too). The only I'm missing in my life is exercise so I definitely need to allocate my time left for workingout. I've found that swimming is the lowest-impact sport for your joints.</p>

<p>Anyone have any suggestions?</p>

<p>What exactly is wrong with your "joints". I don't get what you're asking.</p>

<p>Consider quitting your current sport and taking the season off for therapy/to work out.</p>

<p>Just talk to your coach and explain the situation. Swim in the slow lane, and sit out when you need to. Sure, maybe some ppl will shoot you dirty looks when you don't do all the sprints. But just be confident that you do work hard when you can, and that you listen to your body. Plus, it is JV so I really don't see a problem! </p>

<p>I find that it is soooo scary to tell your coaches something, and then they react soooo nicely that you feel silly. Ultimately their purpose is to keep kids having fun and safe, so it is good that you communicate with him. I noticed that having to communicate with coaches has helped me a lot in the college interview process. Plus, I used to be like telephone-aphobic, and then I had to talk to coaches often on the phone, and I've overcome that fear and now easily call the admissions office or have a phone interview. </p>

<p>I rambled. I'm sorry. Hope this helped.</p>

<p>I know what you mean about the being injured, but wanting to keep going. I really messed my knee up, but kept playing on it and I had surgery about 2 months back, and it's really killing me because im soo used to being active and moving about.</p>

<p>It will kill you on the inside man, and I don't know about your injuries, but depending on what it is, and if it has like a timeline of healing or progression of therapy to get you back to doing sports again, talk to your coach. Ask him if he can put you on the roster right now for eligibility, and whenever you are able to more things, progress back on the team.</p>

<p>I talked to my track coach the other day, and thats what he said he would do for me, so that for me, if theres the chance i can come back, I have that option of being on the team. </p>

<p>But like I said, I don't know anything about your condition, but just wanting to throw this out there</p>

<p>One major factor in this, is if you have a good relationship with your coach, but keep that in mind</p>

<p>Hmm, I run track, so I know what you mean about joint and muscle pains. I had nothing serious, so I was able to run through it (with the help of a lot of bengay of course). However, if its really serious, your best bet would be to discontinue it or take up a sport that doesn't strain your injuries. Those serious injuries can change into life long injuries, and thats not worth it.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I just don't want to injure myself anymore but I love sports and I want to show it when I apply to colleges.

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just so you know, passion for a sport is generally another way of saying that you're good at the sport. that's not always the case but it usually is... anyways, if i were you either manage the team or just spend your time working out and preparing for the next season.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Yeah, but the thing is I'm taking 5 APs and I just don't have time for anything else (I do other extracurriculars too). The only I'm missing in my life is exercise so I definitely need to allocate my time left for workingout. I've found that swimming is the lowest-impact sport for your joints.

[/quote]

1.) you don't need to be on a sports team to workout.
2.) you asked how can you show athletic passion when you're injured; well if you're injured that means that you can't participate physically so you'd have to participate in a non-physical way i.e. being a manager.</p>

<p>damn i was in the same situation. 8th grade my team (baseball) went to nationals and i ended up tearing a bunch of **** in my shoulder. I then spent 2 years trying to recover...never could. :(</p>

<p>it's sad because it was my passion and I probably would have been recruited but I can't play anymore. Till this day I can't throw anything. </p>

<p>Joined student gov to do something else, reluctantly.</p>

<p>I'd say either take it easy this season and don't force yourself to do all that dryland (I'm not sure if you swim club or for school, but I've heard from friends that club dryland is quite tough) or take a season off. If it's not junior or senior year, why worry so much? You have time to make varsity and show your passion. And I understand the AP overload problem. I had 5 last year too and played a varsity sport (not recommended...) and did a lot of other ECs (also not recommended). I realized that I was starting to allocate more time to one of my ECs than everything else and it turns out that that's the thing I'm most passionate about and it was much easier to dedicate most of attention towards it than try to cover 7 or 8 different commitments. </p>

<p>also, if your primary purpose is just to keep in shape, then you can just do that on your own. I'm not playing for any teams this year, but I still like to go jog and play catch and while I'm not "conditioned enough for a varsity season" I am in pretty good shape. And another tip, in almost all my interviews this year, the question of "What do you do just for fun? not competition, not college, not parents, but just you." has popped up. having a passion for sports just because you like it, would be a great answer. You don't have to show you 4 varsity letters and 15 trophies.</p>