By Tyce Dishman
Dedicating yourself to something for 13 years clearly means you have a true passion for it. But what if everything you trained for disappeared in 15 seconds.
“I think it stings a little bit more now watching my team knowing that I can’t be out there wrestling with them,” said sophomore wrestling star Jensen Boyd.
Boyd was wrestling at a prestigious tournament in Crown Point, Ind., during Christmas break. He had been knocked out of the main draw and was trying to scrap his way back in the third-place match.
Facing a well respected wrestler from West Virginia, Boyd was up in the match with time dwindling.
“Everyone thought Jensen already had the match won so we all kind of looked away,” teammate sophomore Jackson Teal said.
With 15 seconds left on the clock the West Virginia wrestler made his move and managed to pick Boyd up and return him to the mat. Boyd tried to catch himself with his left arm.
In that moment everyone’s attention was brought back to the mat by a scream of pain that Boyd let out.
At that moment Boyd did not know his season was over. Laying on the mat agonizing in pain, Boyd could not move because he was in shock. His father Jimmy, an assistant coach, also didn’t know his son’s season was over as he urged him to get back up and wrestle.
“My eyesight kind of went blurry at first, then I looked down and I saw my arm,” Boyd said.
He suffered a broken left elbow; however, this turned out to be the least of his worries.
He dislocated it as well and has nerve damage and is struggling to move his left pointer finger.
Being affected by these injuries is a block in the road for Boyd. However it is not the end of the road.
Boyd visited a specialist on Tuesday, Jan. 28. He heard some news that he had been anxiously awaiting.
“He told me that I can start to do physical therapy,” Boyd said. “It’s gonna feel great to be able to use my arm again.”
Boyd will start physical therapy in the coming weeks and that will be the start of a long journey. The doctors estimate that the entire recovery process is estimated to take anywhere from 6 to 12 months.
But during that process the elbow will heal quicker than the nerve. The nerve is estimated to take longer, but there is not much Boyd can do besides wait.
Last year Boyd wrestled at 106 pounds and had a record of 41-2 as he advanced to state, where he finished fourth.
This year before the injury his record was 16-2 and he was ranked fifth in the weight class of 126.
Although Boyd is no longer able to wrestle with the team he is staying involved by helping the coaches.
“Jensen still is a large part of the team,” wrestling head coach Cody LeCount said. “ He is out at practice every day helping and motivating people.”
Boyd said he has missed just one day of practice since the injury and that was due to a doctor’s appointment. Getting hurt on Saturday Boyd was at practice the following Tuesday doing what he could to help the team. He has been helping his teammates learn and develop their skills by coaching them.
Since he has found a new role, the team has coined him the nickname “coach Jensen.”
This nickname however could stick around for a while.
Boyd said that he could see himself in the future coaching. However, he first wants to pursue his own career in wrestling.
Boyd hopes that he will be back better than ever when he returns to the mat.
Coach LeCount and his father want to get him in tournaments when he gets back to prepare him for the season to come.
However, that is a long way out and Boyd is just trying to stay positive and keep a clear mind.
