Playing on the field causes injuries not just for athletes

From bruises to broken mouthpieces, playing a band instrument can cause injuries.

Clarinet player Alyssa Estrella was standing in the wrong position during a “set.” While rehearsing, she ran into another marcher and bruised her ankle.

“During rehearsal we have sets. Everyone has a specific place in every set. If one person is off, the whole band looks wrong. I just happened to be that person.”

For sophomore Micah LaPointe, band was not the cause of an injury, but it made an ongoing injury worse.

LaPointe has had a foot issue since eighth grade.

“I had to wear a boot for half a year. Doctors think it’s a fracture,” LaPointe said.

Although not caused by band, marching in the band creates constant pain in LaPointe’s foot but she still does it anyway.

During a rehearsal on their paved field, sophomore Abby Fraser was hit with a color guard flag when it was tossed over her head by one of the colorguard members.

“It broke my mouthpiece, busted my top lip and gums, and chipped my tooth,” Fraser said.

Her clarinet was sent to a shop to get repaired for two weeks.

“It’s actually kind of funny now that I think about it,” Fraser said.