Volleyball Sprained Ankle

​

I've always been good about injury prevention. My club always stressed the importance of stretching. I wore ankle and knee braces even when I felt the least bit of pain as a preventative measure- I believed I would never sustain even the smallest injury, and if anything it wouldn't affect me. The most important day of club volleyball had come up, tryouts. It was the second day of tryouts, the one I consider the most important. I already knew I wouldn't make the national team I wanted, but I told myself to believe that if I do extremely good this second day that maybe- just maybe I'd have a chance to make the team I had been hoping for. Day two had come, and I was doing amazing. I had never played like that before. I was in the zone. I truly believed I could make the national team. The coaches had instructed us to do a simple self-toss, then blocking drill. It was going fine, I felt like I was jumping higher than I ever have before. Until I was on the blocking side. I was against the net with a girl I knew and admired. She played amazing, so maybe I was distracted by that, but I landed on her ankle. I fell, but I tried to walk it off, because hey, all the injury prevention couldn't have been for nothing. As I try to stand, I fall again. Tears started running down my face, the national team was not gonna be an option now. First-aid came to me and told me I shouldn't continue playing. The national coach ended up coming to me and saying, “Maile, this is not going to affect your outcome.” I was confused by what she meant. I didn't believe that meant I made the team, but still it gave me a little sliver of hope. I didn't make the team. I wasn't angry at any coach, if anything I was disappointed in myself. If I had just held back a little or stretched a little extra, would the outcome have been different?