“I hardly felt like part of the team,” said sophomore Luke Salzer. “That was the toughest day of practice I’ve ever had.”

In order to compete in lacrosse at Langley, every player must be outfitted with the proper NCAA approved equipment. Salzer, however, found himself on the outside of the pack after losing his mouth guard during a routine practice.

After the warm up jog, Salzer realized he had dropped his mouth guard somewhere on the field. A search ensued but to no avail. Things only went downhill from there.

“I was devastated,” Salzer said, stifling tears at the memory. “Nobody had another to lend me so that was how the day began.”Salzer explained how practice only got worse from there as he was ostracized from his teammates and forced to shy away from contact with other players that could have proven lethal.

Lack of a mouth guard can do more than humble a normally aggressive player. Salzer explained that it can “knock out teeth, cause you to bite your tongue or induce a concussion.”

Without a mouth guard, Salzer watched his teammates from the sideline and prayed for the end of his “worst day ever.”In the end, Salzer was extremely lucky. He got away with no serious injuries, aside from a gash on his upper lip that left his mouth as numb as his spirit.

Salzer returned the following day with a vengeance and a new mouth guard ready to go.

A new routine has developed as Salzer’s anxiety has grown. Before bed every night, he makes sure that his mouth guard is safely tucked in next to him.

“I kiss it good-night and then we go to bed,” says Salzer.

He advises lacrosse players not to take mouth guards for granted, as “you never know how important any single piece of equipment is until you’re without it.”