By Paige Dance | Copy Editor
The clock reaches zero as the buzzer sounds. The crowd goes crazy as the shot goes in, while the athlete falls to the ground. Lucky for them, the athletic trainer runs over to the wounded player to provide aid, whether it be with ice, taping, or recommending further medical attention. This is exactly why having access to athletic trainers at school is simply a necessity.
An athletic trainer is “a specialist in the management, prevention, and recovery of injured athletes”, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
As an athlete who has had knee surgery, I know how important it is to be on top of an athlete’s health with prevention and treatment.
Many young athletes like to push boundaries, such as knowing they have an injury and still continuing to practice and play, so that they do not miss out on anything. This leads to further injuries, sometimes requiring more serious attention. With athletic trainers there to keep an eye on athletes, it creates a safer and healthier environment for athletes to compete in.
“To become an athletic trainer, candidates now often graduate with a Master’s degree in Athletic Training from an accredited athletic training program and successfully pass the Board of Certification (BOC) Exam,” stated Eric Goodman on the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital website. “To practice as an athletic trainer in most states, the individual must also be credentialed within the state”, he continued.
These trainers are knowledgeable when it comes to their profession as it takes years to get to the level to be able to succeed in this career.
When going through my recovery, I utilized the athletic trainer at our own school as much as I possibly could. Whether it was making a pit stop every day to get a bag of ice to ease the pain and swelling, or learning new stretches to help the recovery, the athletic trainer was essential.
“A major concern within interscholastic athletics centers on safety, especially in light of the public’s focus on concussions, sudden cardiac death and heat-related deaths, and this heightens the value of athletic trainers in the secondary school setting,” stated the NFHS website.
There are never-ending ways to get injured in all different sports, which is why having an athletic trainer on hand is so essential. Not having this resource can lead to more serious and severe injuries, and a distraction for the coaches, as they would hypothetically have to make up for what a trainer would normally do.
As stated on the NATA website, “[there are] various barriers and challenges to hiring athletic trainers, including budget constraints, school size, lack of awareness of the athletic trainer’s role and remote location of the school that was released in a previous study.”
It is absolutely necessary that the athlete’s health is the top priority, and having an athletic trainer on hand is a step in the right direction.
