Senior Caleb Kalkwarf is a center back on the Pella Dutch soccer boys’ team. Kalkwarf has a big impact on the team. He leads his team to try and be the best they can be. One thing set him back though. A concussion during the Oskaloosa Indians game stopped him from leading his team on the field, but it didn’t stop him from trying to lead on the sideline.

On his road to recovery, Kalkwarf had to pass baseline concussion tests to make sure he could remember everything. Kalkwarf had to make sure that he was stable enough and that his brain was functioning properly, so that when he returned, he would not pass out on the field. Kalkwarf made sure to be with the team even if he couldn’t do many physical activities. He was there for the losses and the wins.

“It was a little bit frustrating at first during the beginning stages, because I wasn’t able to pass those baseline tests to make sure I could play, but I just had to persevere and take them over and over again until I was able to pass them,” Kalwarf said.

According to Kalkwarf a lot of his teammates and coaches asked how he is doing and supported him through the process. They wanted to make sure he is 100% before he is back and ready to play. 

“Coach Fosket never tried to rush my rehab. He didn’t just try to push me into games,” said Kalkwarf. “He wanted to make sure that I was completely healthy, so I don’t have any other recurring issues later on in my life.”

While recovering Kalkwarf had to be careful. He stayed in dark rooms, so it did not interfere with his recovery. Also he had to limit physical activity per day to make sure that he didn’t cause permanent damage to the brain. If he were to play and get hurt, it could be catastrophic. He would advise other athletes suffering from a concussion to do the same.

“Just make sure that you don’t rush the process. You want to make sure that you’re 100% when you come back, and you don’t want to go in while you’re still injured because that can be very detrimental to your health later on in your life,” stated Kalkwarf. “Especially when you’re dealing with something like your brain that is so important for the rest of your life. You only get one. You can’t replace it.”

Kalkwarf is finally back from his recovery. He played his first game back against Norwalk. That game they tied against a ranked team making this a big victory in the Dutch’s book. Kalkwarf came back to help lead his team to a tie against Norwalk. He is very excited for the rest of the season and the games to come.

“The middle section of our season is a little bit harder. We have a lot more difficult teams, like we have Norwalk, DCG, ADM, some teams like that that are going to be a little bit more of a challenge. And I think we’re going to be able to still be really competitive with those teams,” said Kalkwarf. “It’ll just be a lot more difficult than the beginning of our season, and then we finish it off with some easier games than we have in the middle of season. So I think it’s going to  be pretty good.”