Last year, track was going great for Jacob Timmer, now a freshman. That was until he was running anchor for Lake Shore Middle School in the 4×200 relay event at a meet in Port Washington.

Timmer got the baton with a big lead and started racing to the finish line. “I was coming around the last turn in first place when I heard a pop and then my hip hurt really bad,” Timmer said. He ended up letting Lake Shore’s big lead slip away and finished in second place, but that was the least of his worries. “I knew the second it happened that something was seriously wrong,” Timmer said.

He immediately went to the hospital to find out what had happened. It ended up being a break in his hip caused by his muscles in his hip pulling on the bone. Timmer was sidelined from sports for three months after that injury, but at the beginning of this school year he was ready to go.

He made it through the basketball season on the freshman team without a hitch; then came track season. “It was all going good this year until I was sprinting during a practice. I felt pain in my hip again.” Timmer had to quit track after this incident, and a few weeks later he received the same results the doctor gave him last time. He had broken his hip again and couldn’t participate in sports for another seven weeks.

“I was really disappointed and kind of angry that I couldn’t finish the season,” Timmer said. “It’s disappointing. If that was me I’d be angry,” Christopher Aceto, freshman and teammate, said.
Timmer’s injury also affected him in many other ways besides having to quit track. He can’t run, play basketball or do any of the other activities he likes to do. Timmer also had to leave his freshman gym class and join the strength training class because he couldn’t participate in most Freshman P.E. activities. “It’s not that bad but freshman gym is way better,” Timmer said.

Timmer said that he only has about three weeks left until he can resume his life as normal. He has to be careful though, that he doesn’t aggravate his injury once again and have to spend even more time watching instead of doing. “It could really hinder his performance,” Jack Van Vooren, freshman and track team member, said.

Timmer keeps an optimistic view though, and won’t let this injury faze him. He still plans on playing basketball for his AAU team this summer. Even though his injuries are huge obstacles, Timmer bounces back after each one and never gives up.