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Sports

Colavita Returns to the Field

After a 13 month injury, Bronxville High School senior Matthew Colavita heads back to the lacrosse field.

Courage is defined in the Merriem-Webster dictionary as the, "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty."

This also describes Matthew Colavita, a senior at Bronxville High School, whose courage helped him faced the most difficult challenge life had dealt him to date.

On April 21, 2009, while playing, the star lacrosse player fractured his C5 Vertebra (Cervical Vertebra 5)—a vertebra in the spinal cord—in two locations.

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The road to recovery for Matthew was a strenuous and difficult one, said his father, Anthony Colavita, the Town Supervisor for Eastchester. He was in a brace for seven months—from April to November. Following the actual healing of his body, Matthew then went through six additional months of physical rehabilitation, said Colavita.

With sports tucked into the recesses of his mind for the time being, Matthew's first goal was to gain strength and build his body back up. However, as the weeks passed and his body healed, he grew stronger and his will to try and make a comeback quickly became his ultimate goal, his father explained, while Matthew was off preparing for this year's playoffs, which start today.

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In the first three games before his injury, Matthew, a junior at the time, had been voted team captain. So when his physical abilities were temporarily sidelined, Matthew helped his teammates mentally prepare for games by cheering them on and talking to them before and after they took the field.

Then, on May 19, after 13 months of recovery, Matthew returned to the game. In his first game back, Bronxville High School defeated Irvington 14-5.

Currently, Matthew is busy preparing for playoffs and the end of his senior year.

In the fall Matthew will be heading to Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The Lafayette Leopards are ranked 20th in the nation in lacrosse and boast an impressive team and records for the school. Since recruitment for college lacrosse is conducted in an athlete's junior year, Matthew wasn't able to showcase his talents as a result of his injury, but his father said he is considering open tryouts and continuing with the sport.

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