Athlete Interview: Alyssa Bang
This is Alyssa Bang, a captain of Girls JV Water Polo. She has been on the team since sophomore year, and has helped lead her team to many victories. However, she has suffered her fair share of injuries, ranging from minor injuries such as cuts to major injuries such as bone fractures. In this article, we delve deep into her possible career ender—her hand fracture.
Can you share your experience of the injury as an athlete, including how it occurred and its impact on your training and competitions?
In the first game of her season, she was blocking every ball and keeping her goal safe. However, injury occurred when during one block, her hand was sandwiched between the goal post and her hand. This resulted in a lot of temporary pain, but it eventually subsided. As such, she did not know that it was a serious injury and continued to play for the team. This resulted in her minor fracture opening up even more, and progressively getting worse.
In terms of the recovery process, what rehabilitation methods or treatments did you find most effective in helping you cope with the emotional or mental toll of the injury? Were there any unexpected challenges or breakthroughs during your recovery?
When she found out the true severity of her injury and needed to get operated on, she was really scared. However, many of her friends came over to drop flowers and chocolates after the surgery and that really cheered her up. An unexpected challenge was the cast around her hand because it limited her from doing a lot of basic tasks. However, many teachers and people in general were very understanding and accommodated her. This injury also emphasized her sense of gratitude because she is very grateful to have two functioning arms.
As someone who has successfully overcome a sports injury, what advice would you offer to fellow athletes facing similar challenges? Are there specific mindset shifts or practical tips you found particularly beneficial during your recovery journey?
Some advice that she has for athletes is that if you get an injury it is best to get it checked out early before the injury can get any worse. She also highlights the importance of rest because she believes it contributed the most to her recovery. Some mindset shifts and practical tips that she found the most useful is not being afraid to ask for help because it will relieve a lot of stress and most people will gladly assist you.
On your return to sports and training, how did you rebuild your strength and confidence? Were there specific training techniques, routines, or precautions you implemented to prevent re-injury and ensure a comeback?
On her return, she rebuilt her strength and confidence by doing a lot of exercises targeting the muscles around her injury. For her injury specifically, she did a lot of curls with forearm strength in mind, since she wanted to regain her grip strength. To prevent this injury, she advises athletes to be more cautious of their environment and avoid overexerting themselves.