In a single play on Homecoming Friday night, senior athlete Alex Friederick went from chasing a touchdown to an injury that would sideline his season, but not his spirit. As Friederick was running, he was hit from behind and landed on his shoulder. But it wasn’t until the second hit that he realized how serious his injury was. Before long, Alex realized that night would be the last time he played under the Friday night lights.
A little over a week later, Alex underwent surgery on his broken collarbone. Surgery was successful, but he still faced a long recovery ahead that, unfortunately, he was prevented from finishing his senior football season. Despite this setback, Alex continued to persevere, staying involved with the team and committing fully to his recovery. He attended physical therapy every Monday and Wednesday, along with icing his shoulder and doing stretches to help recover as soon as possible. One of these stretches involved bench pressing a golf club, which might seem silly, but it has helped Alex heal over time.
Originally, Alex’s full recovery was expected to be in late December, meaning he would be out for the rest of the football season and part of the basketball season. However, thanks to his determination and mindset, he is ahead of schedule. With X-rays showing good signs, Alex was cleared on November 25th. Even though Alex missed out on the rest of his football season, he is lucky enough to jump right back into basketball, once again wearing the number 44 he wore during football season.
With basketball season starting, Alex is excited and motivated to be back on the court. While he may have more limitations than usual, such as needing to be more conscious when diving for the ball, he remains eager and is approaching the season with the same positive mindset he used in his physical therapy and recovery.
When asked for advice for others struggling with being sidelined by injuries, Alex encourages them to “stick to the plan… because it’ll all be good when it is over.” Whether you are injured for a short period or a more extended period, be patient with yourself and your injury. Similar to how Alex committed himself to his recovery, commit yourself to your own recovery.