Julia Colozza (10) has been part of the Parkway Central varsity basketball team since her freshman year. During her first year of high school, she played JV basketball, while also swinging for varsity. But, she didn’t expect that she would only be able to play for a month. 

“I got my concussion from rebounding,” Colozza said. “I got elbowed right in between my eyes. But, I ended up playing the rest of the game, which wasn’t a good idea. While I was recovering, I got hit in the head with a basketball.” 

While some concussions are mild, her recovery was a difficult process.  

“I had to do physical therapy for my eyes because my vision was really blurry, and I had to do lots of check-ups with the doctor and the trainer,” Colozza said.  “I also had to make sure I wasn’t in bright rooms or looking at screens a lot.” 

Colozza was out for three months, making her freshman year basketball season very short. However, Colozza has played the sport ever since elementary school and after fully recovering, she is playing for varsity again this year. 

“The best part about this sport is getting to hang out with everybody and having great teammates,” Colozza said. “I enjoy winning games and everyone cheering; it’s really exciting.”

Colozza’s second year on varsity is going well as she has the third most rebounds on the team. As a forward, she has a total of ten rebounds in four games. She continues to practice for two hours every day after school, and plays on a club team for Ursuline in the summer. 

It can be very difficult to balance school work and sports in addition to the challenges of head injuries. But, Colozza has learned to manage it. 

Her favorite subjects are Spanish and math, she is enrolled in AP World History, and in her free time, she likes to hang out with her friends. 

“I balance school and sports by getting my work done quickly, and using time in school to finish work,” Colozza said.