Photo by Matthew Hicks
Injuries are almost inevitable; at some point in life, everyone will experience some type of bodily harm, such as a sprained wrist or twisted ankle. Sophomore Brett Perry is no stranger to injuries, after growing up playing five different sports and managing to injure himself in every single one.
“I played basketball, football, baseball, soccer and bowling,” Perry said. “Concussions, dislocated shoulder; from the dislocated shoulder, I have a dent in my shoulder. I have sprained ankles, sprained my knee; a lot of sprains. I’ve broken a finger, too, from baseball.”
Around the age of 10 is when Perry broke his finger; his right middle finger, to be exact.
“I slid back into first base on a pick off move and I jammed my finger,” Perry said. “I finished catching the rest of the game and then after the game, my dad unjammed it, and had actually fractured it when he unjammed my finger. When we went to the ER, he had jokingly told them that I flipped him off one too many times.”
When Perry was a sophomore in high school, he suffered through an injury that still occasionally affects him.
“I was going after a foul ball in practice,” Perry said. “I was trying to keep track of where I was on the field, but I hit the fence. My shoulder subluxed forward, then popped back in and now I have a dent in my shoulder. I was 16 or 17.”
Although Perry has suffered through various injuries, that hasn’t stopped him from loving sports. In fact, he wants to go on after college with a career in professional athletics. He doesn’t want to carry on as an athlete, however; he wants to carry on as a physical therapist. Perry is an exercise science major.
“If I was following exactly my dream, I would work for an athletic team, like the Indianapolis Colts, or for baseball, the Kansas City Royals, and be a physical therapist for that specific team.”
Perry has big dreams and a successful future ahead of him, especially if he is able to follow his dream.
“It’s not necessarily how much money you make but whether you’re doing something that you love,” Perry said. “A teacher doesn’t make much money but if their dream is to teach kids, then that would classify as a successful life to me.”
Photo by Alaina Burris