Some terribly misinformed people out there will say that athletes are what makes any sport interesting. Those people are wrong. In actuality, mere human mortals are no match for the lifeless, artificial items that really take sports to the next level. From helmets to performance enhancing drugs, the essence of sports are the manufactured elements, whether on the field (or court, or rink, or pitch or pool…) or not.
This month, the Observer is taking some time off glazing actual people and focusing on what really matters to any real sports fan: menthol. An organic compound that everyone can thank for the distinctive taste and smell of mint, menthol can be found everywhere, from mint toothpaste to mint ice cream to mint mouthwash and every mint in between. In sports, menthol is often used to make topical creams that help relieve aches and pains: the cooling sensation characteristic of menthol is found to be soothing and encourage healing. Biofreeze, one of the brands that uses menthol to produce cooling relief, is extremely popular among WCHS athletes, having helped many of them overcome minor injuries.
“I use Biofreeze every single day,” WCHS athlete Bryan Vagran said. “I just find it super versatile: I can apply the patch, rub on the gel and inhale the spray! I even use it sometimes when I’m not even injured or feeling bad, just because I love it so much!”
While menthol can be relieving for those experiencing most minor aches, it is not recommended to rely on Biofreeze for major injuries, such as dismemberment or stubbing your toe. It is also not recommended to inhale menthol sprays, as they are capable of producing a high and can be extremely addictive. If one were to want to get high on menthol, however, Biofreeze sells some great three ounce menthol sprays that are easy to carry on the go for a quick sniff!
“Since Biofreeze came into my life like a ray of sunshine, I have never worried about any kind of injury again,” Vagran said. “I got tossed down a flight of stairs yesterday like a sack of potatoes, and I’ll say, I’ve never felt stronger!”
All in all, Biofreeze is an extremely effective tool to student athletes and its impact on WCHS cannot be overstated. Whether a student is applying a cream to a bruise, or blasting a can of the spray up their nose in a corner of the locker room, Biofreeze has positively impacted the lives of so many people. In the approximately 30 years since this corporation has started making the world a better place, they have never lost sight of their core mission: to make an athlete forget they feel pain so they can go right back to doing whatever it was that made them feel pain in the first place.
“I feel nothing anymore,” Vagran said. “The heat, the cold, pain or pleasure… none of it. When I wake up in the morning, I no longer notice the sun. When I sleep at night I can no longer feel the darkness. All I can feel… is Biofreeze.”
This article has not been sponsored by Biofreeze. However, here at the Observer, we love Biofreeze with all our hearts, more so than any other athlete that has ever been covered in these pages. We sincerely believe that Biofreeze is the future, and that is why we are announcing the cultivation of a peppermint garden right here at WCHS. We will be taking the leaves of the peppermint plant, crushing them into a fine paste and painting the walls with it such that everything smells like Biofreeze.
“Biofreeze…” Vagran said. “Biofreeze… Biofreeze… Biofreeze…”
