Injuries and sports are two words that, unfortunately, often go together. From Olympic gold medalists to members of local leagues, an injury can happen to anyone and can end careers. Here to report on one of these instances is Shannon Heft, a former member of the Welsh Valley girls soccer team. Shannon used to play soccer over 15 hours a week, playing on her school and travel team. However, on September 29th at an away game at Paxon Hollow, Shannon ran into another player and fell to the ground. 

“I heard a pop!” she yelled while she laid on the ground, surrounded by her laughing teammates. Shannon remembers that one of her teammates was cackling and rolling on the ground, dying from laughter.

“Stop laughing at her.” said another teammate, not wanting her friend to look bad. However, she soon joined her friend, both of them laughing at Shannon’s injury.

“Hahahahah,” giggled Shannon’s teammates, not being able to control themselves.

Shannon was carried off the field and rushed to a local urgent care, where she was told that she had likely suffered from a minor tear to a knee ligament. After missing hours of school to get a diagnosis and still no sign of her knee healing, Shannon finally got an MRI, which confirmed the worst. Her ACL was torn in half. ACL tears are some of the most common injuries in sports and are considered to be pretty serious, often keeping players off the field for months. Shannon has since received surgery for her injury and is expected to take 9-12 months to recover. She wears a full knee brace and currently uses crutches to get around. She won’t be back to soccer for almost an entire year, missing vital games and seasons. Not only will she miss important playing time, but she’ll also be far behind when she resumes soccer. Although she was planning to continue playing the sport throughout highschool and into college, Shannon will most likely never attain the same level that she would have had without her injury. As well as her soccer career, Shannon’s mental health has also suffered. Not playing sports and not being able to run or even walk properly has taken a toll on her. Shannon hopes to recover both physically and mentally one step at a time.

“Sports injuries suck. Please be nice to your teammates and be supportive to people who are injured.” – Shannon Heft