Athletics come with a risk of injury and strain on the body. Alex Doerksen shows his bodily commitment to volleyball during a practice on Feb 11. Photo by Eric Allan.

Eyes foggy, time shifts and spins, you don’t know where you are or what day it is. You look up and see your team on one knee with grimaces on their faces. Confusion floods your mind. Suddenly, you look beside you and see a volleyball trainer asking you how many fingers they’re holding up. It dawns on you, I have a concussion. An abrupt impact can mean a loss of so much as an athlete. Injuries rob time, opportunity and growth from post-secondary athletes but it is an occupation hazard. 

As a volleyball libero, it is your job to dig hits, take first ball and run for wild balls that go outside the court. Alex Doerksen, Kodiaks men’s volleyball libero and outside hitter, has felt the setback of injury many times. He is in his third year for the Kodiaks and has seen his fair share of missed games due to concussions. 

“I’ve been injured around four times that have prevented me from playing.” Doerksen also says he has been removed from play for the last few head injuries he has sustained. 

According to the Athletics Canada Concussion Protocol, by Athletics Canada in July 2021, “Most athletes who sustain a concussion while participating in sport will make a complete recovery and be able to return to full school and sport activities within one to four weeks of injury.”

“I was unable to play in provincials for my U-18 club year. I also was hit my first year playing in Ontario and lost my spot in the starting lineup and never really got it back.” 

This missed time, these missed games can be career changing. Sustaining multiple injuries can also affect the future of the athlete in sports and in life.

After 10 years of coaching the Kodiaks, Greg GIbos has seen dozens of injuries.He says it is part of the athlete’s journey to deal 

“We probably have about half the athletes deal with some form of a minor injury from overuse such as jumpers knee or shoulder inflammation. I would say we average three to four concussions a year, and then probably one to two soft tissue injuries which would require upwards of eight to ten weeks of rehabilitation.” 

Gibos says near the end of the season many athletes are pushing through a minor injury. After months of training, playing and taking the odd bump, the human body is sure to be under some sort of strain

“Sore backs, shoulders and knees would be the most common. I would guess over half the guys are working through some form of injury at this time of year. Currently we have three athletes completely out of competition with major injuries including ankle sprains, hamstring tear and concussion.”On average there are one to two athletes benched due to injury, according to Gibos. 

Injury may be a part of being an athlete, yet it doesn’t make it any easier to grapple with. Doerksen has seen a fair share of missed games as an athlete and it still bothers him to this day.

“Having such a huge part of your life taken away by something out of your control can be quite frustrating and doesn’t feel fair sometimes. It definitely sucks to be unable to play in a sport you love.”

After grinding, conditioning, committing so much time and energy into something, losing out on it can be a tough pill to swallow. Yet, through all of this athletes say, “all for the love of the game.”