So, I've thought long and hard about this topic.....life lessons for a 18-22 year old college athlete. What would I say? I think it is really important to walk away from your college athletic experience with something positive that you can lean on for the rest of your life. Here are my thoughts....
Looking back almost 6 years ago now, my oldest son had an injury after his team won their conference, he was selected first team all-conference and his team appeared in the D1 NCAA regionals. He had a great freshmen and sophomore year earning conference starts on the mound then the injury bug just bit him on the way to NCAA regionals. He went from a high to low very quickly, but handled it well. He worked his tookus off to get healthy his junior year, never wavered to try to get back on the mound and get his starting pitching position back. Senior year, he had some starts, relief and actually closed a game (his only close) in his last college appearance as a senior. Injurys are extremely difficult to deal with both mentally and physically. Some people never come back from them simply because their injuries are too extensive. Through all of this he stayed positive and kept focusing on baseball and school. His junior year would be his best academic year getting all A's while being injured. He was also exposed to some research labs on campus that would be important for him professionally after graduation.
It has been said injurys are part of being an (college) athlete . True. But I think it is more about how you deal with the injury, and pivot to the next important thing in your life or move onto something new if the injury is severe. Athletes are trained to go after things 100%. Perseverance and single-mindedness can go a long way. I know it did teach my son something about himself that he'll use later in life.
As always, JMO.