As the winter sports seasons are starting to wind down, it gets me thinking about how crazy and busy a high school Athletic Trainer’s life is for the past 4 months during the winter. When I look back I kind of think: “wow, that went fast”. Which at the beginning of the winter season, I would never have thought it would have felt fast. I feel like I have been at the hockey rink every other day for the past 4 months and with how cold it has been, it has not been fun going out to the freezing cold car after standing in a freezing cold hockey arena for five hours. But, hey, it’s for the love of the profession and the feeling you get when you help a family through an injury or see an athlete you have been working with get back and play a great game. It’s this sense of pride, almost like a proud parent. It shows your hard work pays off.
I also have to laugh sometimes when I think about what I hear/see on a daily basis which makes this job so unique. Working so closely with teenagers, as you could imagine, makes for many interesting, but fun and entertaining days. Here is a little insight into a life in the day of a high school athletic trainer:
1) On a daily basis while taping ankles, you get an apology that sounds something along the lines of “sorry, my legs are hairy, I haven’t shaved in awhile” or “sorry, my feet probably smell“.
2) You double as a psychologist. My psychology minor sure gets used more often than I could have ever imagined.
3) You hear waaayyy to much information on teenagers personal lives.
4) You have the problem of getting stuck to the ice while tending to a hockey injury.
5) Your car looks like a winter clothes closet with extra sweatshirts, boots, gloves, coats, etc. Always have to be prepared for whatever comes up.
6) You may succumb to a dinner of hot dogs and/or big soft pretzels a day or two a week. Athletic Trainers usually get a deal on concession stand food – lucky us 🙂
7) You can tape an ankle, rehab a knee, relocate a shoulder, evaluate a concussion and save a life all in a days work.
This was taken Friday February 6th. At east ridge gymnasium during the starting line ups of the east ridge vs Woodbury boys basketball game. This was my point of view sitting right behind our bench. The gym was packed!! East ridge won a good game 75-70.
Athletic Trainers never have a day that is like another. That’s the beauty of it. Every day is its own unique challenge. We have a lot of fun, but when we have to be ready for an emergency situation, we are trained professionals and get it done. I am proud to be an Athletic Trainer at OSI and take much pride in what I do.
– Hayley
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