What Professional Athletes Have Learned From Career-Threatening Injuries
It's a test of character.
Despite years of careful planning, training, and dedication, sometimes things don't go according to plan. When you're a competitive athlete, injuries are more than just a nuisance — they're career-threatening. Beyond the physical agony, they present a major attitude test, and the ways athletes respond can often be a lesson for life as much as for their sport.
Sophie Caldwell, Olympic Skier
"One summer I broke both of my elbows on two separate occasions. I injured one while mountain biking and the other when I was clotheslined by a low-hanging wire. It was hard physically because of the pain, but it was harder psychologically because I knew I couldn't prepare for the season the way I wanted to. I was disappointed because I wanted to pick up where I'd left off the year before.
I overcame that disappointment by making small goals and telling myself that I was going to be thrilled when I reached each one. I wasn't going to get bummed out by a number on a result sheet—instead I was going to celebrate everything I was doing right until I was racing at the level I wanted to be.
It's funny, because as soon as I started doing that, I made some really big gains and quickly jumped back to where I had left off."
Caldwell was the first American woman to win a World Cup in a Nordic ski classic event and competed at the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi.
Maya Gabeira, Surfer
"I have had many injuries in my career. In the early years, I used to get extremely upset and only worry about when I would get back to the waves. [Recently], I dealt with a back injury generated by overuse of my back. I've had a few surgeries, and it's been by far my most challenging injury yet.
One thing I relied on was watching great movies. I loved watching inspirational stories and getting inspired by others during my recovery time. I also focused on doing a lot of things I don't get to do when in top shape and performing out in the world: I spent time with family and friends, and I adventured in some TV work.
I still work very hard to get back in top shape after every injury, but I don't suffer so much anymore along the way. I [try] to appreciate both times in my life—recovery and active — they're very much a part of an athlete's life!"
Gabeira is a five-time Billabong XXL (big wave) winner and has set the record for biggest wave ever surfed by a woman.
Ashima Shiraishi, Climber
"Four days before U.S. Nationals, I took a 15-meter fall at the gym and landed on my back. It was my first major injury, and though miraculously I was okay, it was also really painful to walk. Still, my doctors released me to climb because the injuries were so minimal. I took some ibuprofen and competed. But I was mentally a little shaken.
I'm usually fearless, but after the fall, I went to Australia to climb and found that I wasn't as comfortable taking big risks. I decided to just keep climbing, and I think not taking a break allowed me not to really think about the fall. I never noticed when I stopped being afraid, but I think jumping right back in helped."
Shiraishi is the first woman and youngest person ever to climb the sport's V15 boulder grade.
Rachael McLaren, Dancer
"I dealt with an injury my first year dancing with my dream company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I stepped onto stage for my second-ever performance, Night Creature, landed from a jump, and suddenly felt as if someone had kicked my leg from behind. I hobbled offstage and discovered I couldn't put my heel down. I'd torn my calf, and was looking at a five-week recovery. I was an emotional and physical wreck.
Once I started rehabilitation, I learned that I had been carrying a lot of stress in my calves and my pelvis, and because of that, my alignment was off. I also learned that up to that point in my career I had no real understanding of how to take care of my body, or even how to recognise when my body was asking me to pay attention to it, in order to prevent an injury.
I got through my injury by taking the time to get to know myself, and what I needed physically and mentally to stay balanced and healthy."
McLaren is a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Kara Goucher, Olympic Runner
"I've had two major injuries in my career that were possibly career-ending. They were incredibly difficult times in my life and caused me to question who I was and what my purpose was without running.
I tried to focus on all the other aspects of my life that I love and nurture those things. But I also stayed focused on regaining my health and getting back to running. Enjoying time with family and friends was — and is — critical to helping me get through those really scary and difficult times."
Goucher was a 10,000-meter bronze medalist at the 2007 World Championships and competed at the Olympic games in 2008 and 2012.
Meghan Duggan, Hockey Player
"I sustained a major concussion during the winter of 2011 at a training camp. The 18 months that followed were plagued by dark rooms, nausea, doubts, tears, discomfort and depression. I was so dialled in and focused on my training and hockey career that nothing and no one outside of it mattered. Considering how against my personality [that was], it doesn't surprise me that I was smacked upside the head, literally, in order to grow.
Coming out on the other side was one of the hardest things I've had to do to date, but what I learned about myself — who I was and what I stood for, believed in and wanted — most definitely shaped the future of my career and life."
Duggan, a US Women's National Hockey Team captain, is also a two-time Olympic silver medalist and a six-time World Champion.
Ali Krieger, Soccer Player
"In 2012, I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus, six months before what would be my first Olympic Games in London. I never questioned my work ethic throughout my rehabilitation, but I was afraid my body wouldn't heal the way it should or that I would never be able to play at the highest level again.
There were plenty of days I struggled [during the recovery process], but I tried to keep a good mindset. I learned I needed to set small goals for myself to achieve daily in order to feel like I'm progressing forward. It helped that I had a great support system surrounding me. My teammates, my entire family, my best friends and the incredible fans would always send me encouraging messages, emails, cards and phone calls or texts.
I learned how to listen to my body and understand how to push myself and also when to rest. I learned that not every day will be easy and that crying profusely some days is not a bad thing. I learned not to be so hard on myself. Most importantly, I learned not to take any opportunity I have stepping foot on the soccer pitch for granted and to cherish every single minute because I never know when it'll be my last."
Krieger, a veteran defender for the Orlando Pride, is also a FIFA Women's World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist.
Angel Collinson, Skier
"I fell and tore my ACL up in Alaska. It definitely took me away from my identity as an athlete and a skier for a while. I dealt with it by just putting one foot in front of the other, working on rehab, doing the things I could and also making a list of all the things I wanted to do in life that I don't normally have time to. I chose to look at it as an opportunity to grow and nurture myself in ways that I had always wanted to but hadn't before.
It also made me realise just how much injuries can take you away from feeling like yourself and living life the way we always had. I'm always so amazed by people who have dealt with serious injuries and their ability to maintain a perspective that is healthy for them to keep growing and moving forward."
Collinson is the only woman to have won the Powder Magazine Best Line Award.
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