Ever wonder why your grandpa has a bad back? If he played a lot of sports as a kid, he probably has a cool story behind it (no pun intended).

Athletes, young and old, have to deal with injury in sport. The reality is people get hurt, but it is what you do with that injury that matters most.

This year there have been some inspiring stories of athletes coming back from the dead, so to speak. I just want to give credit where credit is due to the warriors who have fought back from injury.

Martin Broduer recently came back on the ice after being injured for the majority of this NHL season and earned back-to-back shutouts.

Are you kidding me?

He was supposed to be done. His career looked like it was on its back heels but after his comeback it seems like he is better than ever.

What Brodeur’s performance does is provide a lesson for young athletes that no matter what stands in your way, if you are determined enough, you can have success.

Another player that has bounced back from injury is soccer player Eduardo Da Silva. His leg was basically broken after he fractured his left fibula and dislocated his ankle over a year ago, but he came back to play with Arsenal with the same energy and emotion as he had when he left.

“ This is a guy who could not even walk and he comes back and leads his team to victory.

In his first game back, Eduardo scored two goals in a four to nothing win over Cardiff City.

Are you kidding me?

This is a guy who could not even walk and he comes back and leads his team to victory.

Eduardo shows once again that you should never give up. That injury should have done Eduardo in, but he came to play and did something spectacular.

Finally, last but not least is Tiger Woods. He is recovering from surgery on his knee and tuning up for the Masters.

At the Accenture Match Play Championships, Woods was able to beat Brendan Jones despite being off the game for so long.

Even before he had the surgery he was playing on that very same hurt knee at the U.S. Open. And he won it in what was one of Tiger’s best performances ever.

Are you… Well, you get the point by now.

Tiger shows the heart of a lion (pun intended this time) and what pure passion can do. He is fighting through this injury and staying on top of his game and that is what sport is all about.

If you didn’t get it, my point is that the best athletes never give up. So kudos to them for doing what they have done against all odds. When even their body gave up on them, they didn’t.

So, next time ask your grandpa why his back always hurts. Maybe he’ll have a great tale of what it truly means to be an athlete.

Have any of your own tales of injury comebacks? From amateur to professional, we want to hear them so e-mail your stories to [email protected] and they may be posted at www.uniter.ca/blog.

Published in Volume 63, Number 23 of The Uniter (March 12, 2009)