by Michelle McPherson                                                                                                                                               Students in the athletic training program give us a taste of what they do

They stand unnoticed on the sidelines of every game, every meet, and every match. When an athlete runs past the finish line, makes a home run, or sends a killer serve over the net, they are there with full Bearcat spirit, constantly scanning the athletes in the crowd for any sign of an injury. Their job is crucial to athletes everywhere, even though they are honestly the last people we would want to see, because their presence reminds athletes of the constant danger of an injury. These are the athletic trainers.

Athletic trainer spend their time taking care of athletes that have injuries during their season. They go to every game and every meet to ensure that no one gets hurt. But if an incident does occur, they take actions that are appropriate to the situation.

The dedication is in the eyes of each and every trainer as they sit in the hot sweaty gym or stand in the cold wind on any given day of the week. When the first cry of pain reaches the ears of a trainer, they rush to the rescue. The trainers take their job seriously because they know what the side effect of an unattended injury can do to an athletes body. “You have to go in every day and ice, once you get injured” said freshman Natalie Nicolen who is suffering from a sprained ankle. The stress of knowing that an athlete is counting in them solely, gets to them. But they are trained to handle it in the most professional manner.

“The most important thing [for us] is to stay calm because the athlete will probably be freaking out. I’ve never seen anything too bad but as long as you know what you’re doing and portray that to the athlete, then that’s the way to go about it,” said senior Jamika Martin, who has been in the program for two years.

With a rough estimate, 100 different students coming into the training room before practices and games/meets, trainers are put to the test to

“They are extremely busy, but for the most part they are quick to help,” said Sophomore Sam Nevosh. But with all of the rushing around, “They’re pretty helpful!” said freshman Bailey Lewis, who’s injured with fractures in her foot. help every athlete as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Agonizing pain mixed with fear is painted on the face of anyone who gets injured during a sport. “I got scared when I had to go in but it’s better to go in and have to be out for the season and be better for the next, then keep going and then injuring yourself to the point where you can’t do the sport anymore,” said Nevosh

The overall goal of every trainer is to help athletes get better and get back out and play. Even with the stress of their daily duties, the satisfaction of helping others makes it worth the while.