Cross country is a test of strength and endurance to outrun the rivaling teams and their runners through the open countryside. For junior Ethan Traugott, cross country was not just a predominant part of his daily life but a burning passion.
Throughout his time on the team, he served as the second varsity runner and as one of the team captains.
By the end of his sophomore year, Traugott won some of the most sought-after awards for all cross country members alike. Traugott also competed and won the Nike Cross Regional 5k. His determination and athleticism landed him a spot on the DGS record board for the top ten best three-mile records.
At the end of his 2023-2024 indoor track season, Traugott’s world was flipped upside down.
“It was the last meet of the indoor conference, and I was doing a two-mile race and everything was fine. The next day, on a run, I had to stop a mile in because my Achilles was really bothering me. And so I think that’s, the moment that I had to stop things,” Traugott said.
Initially, he sought out the DGS athletic trainers, but when nothing helped with his lingering Achilles tendinitis injury, Traugott proceeded to Athletico physical therapists for proper diagnosis and in-depth care.
“In the first place, it was Achilles tendinitis, because it was just down there. But then later, it was still lingering, and the tendinitis reached my calves. They thought maybe it was some weird stress reaction that was causing pain in my calves and my shins,” Traugott said.
After diagnosis and months of physical therapy, Traugott’s tendinitis spread to his calves and shins making it too painful for him to walk. By this point, it was September and the second month into the school year when he would have to start using a wheelchair in order to fully recover.
“So then that’s when I went to the wheelchair, for months. It’s an interesting experience, I’m very thankful that people are nice to me and just opening doors and stuff for me,” Traugott said.
Having to spend two months in a wheelchair completely changed his outlook on life. Despite some lows, Traugott found ways to maintain a positive outlook throughout this period of his life.
Junior cross country runner David Kosinski spent a lot of his time with Traugott during their sophomore year. He became a close friend and had a large part in Traugott’s moral support team while going through the struggles of this injury.
“At the start, he was obviously upset, but around the third month of his injury, he accepted [it] and became optimistic. He has probably become more optimistic and happy than before the injury,” Kosinski said.
After accepting the reality of his injury, Traugott became more receptive and grateful for the world around him.
“There were some really tough days, mental health was a struggle for a bit. I found myself wondering, what are other people thinking but not saying?” Traugott said.
Throughout his recovery, Traugott discovered that he was not alone in his journey, and others around him were there to support him.
“At the top of your game in a varsity sport, that’s your life. After getting injured, I feel like I was able to have honest conversations with people and talk about tough stuff. And so I felt that I was really able to help other people build up as myself was building up too,” Traugott said.
Life offers many opportunities to those who have their eyes open and hearts full. Traugott used his experiences with injury to benefit and expand his horizons.
“I want to have a job later in life and take some high school classes that can help me continue to talk to people. Maybe it’s being a pastor, maybe a physical therapist, or maybe a social worker, any job, where I can continue to benefit from other people and share the joy of life,” Traugott said.
Cross country coach Brian Caldwell shared his point of view as Traugott’s coach.
“More than anything, what we want as coaches is to see him able to be back with the team and have fun. I know that he definitely hit some points where it seemed like his injury wasn’t going to get better. But, overall, Ethan is just a tremendously positive, kind and great teammate, so I think compared to anybody else going through a similar situation, he handled it really well in staying positive,” Caldwell said.
Traugott is on his feet again and has started swimming to stay active as he hopes to enter the autumn of his senior year with a newfound motivation to be selfless and benefit those around him whether inside or outside of cross country.
