During the day, they are seemingly normal high school students. However, once the final bell rings, they transform into athletic trainers, helping keep athletes safe and bringing them back to full health.
Eager to get a jumpstart on their medical careers, a few students have started working with the high school athletic trainers to prepare them for their future careers.
Sophomore Oliver Corlew said he started working with the athletic trainers this school year at the beginning of December.
“The application is just a few basic questions making sure you’re responsible and the trainers can trust you to do whatever they need,” he explained.
Corlew helps with basic tasks such as making ice bags, getting crutches and testing splits, he said.
“The most important thing is that you get to learn a lot,” he added. “When I go to games, I ask a lot of questions about everything.”
Senior Kendall Moore said she has also learned numerous skills from participating in the program.
“I’ve learned a lot of little things that play a bigger role when helping an athlete,” she said.
Last winter, Moore said she was the only student participating in the program. Two more students joined this year, which has led to more discussion and fun.
“It’s a good opportunity, and if you don’t like it, then at least you know for the future,” she said.
The program is very time consuming, Corlew said. He has to stay after school until 5:30 p.m. for two to three days a week, and he also has to go to the basketball games early on Tuesdays, Thursdays and occasionally Saturdays to help prepare water and test splints, he explained.
“You have to really want to do it,” he added. “You can’t just do it because you think it will look good on a college application.”
Corlew said he gets a lot of value out of the program because it is a firsthand experience.
“I want to go into the medical field,” he said. “Something around sports medicine or orthopedics interests me.”
Athletic trainer Kennedy Ware said most of the students who participate in the program hope to have a future in either sports medicine or some type of similar healthcare profession.
“Even if you’re not interested in going the total sports medicine route, you still learn basic anatomy,” she said.
If a student wants to sign up for the program, they need to contact her or Gail Swisher, letting them know they are interested, Ware said.
“Anyone can do it, we just prefer that they aren’t in season if they are playing a sport,” she said.
When students sign up for the program, they can either be a student aide or shadow, Ware explained.
“If you shadow, you are just watching and seeing what we do throughout the day, it’s less of a time commitment,” she said. “If you’re a student aide, it’s more time-consuming. You’re required to go to games throughout the week, spend time after school with us and there’s always the possibility of traveling.”
Students will learn new skills that will benefit them if they want to pursue something in the medical field, Ware said.
“If you’re interested in sports medicine at all or just seeing what it’s like being an athletic trainer, I would recommend it,” Corlew said. “I have really enjoyed the program, and I plan to continue to do it throughout the rest of high school.”
