WHAT IS ATHLETIC TRAINING?

Athletic Training is a profession that requires responsibility, hard work, self-discipline, and a commitment to the program. No one really knows those nameless people that stand on the sidelines of athletic events handing out water. Some assume that they are mere water boys and girls daydreaming into outer space wasting time away. Those unidentified people are called athletic trainers, the so-called “back bone” (no pun intended) of the whole sports operation. A trainer is an essential part of the athletic staff that acts as a liaison between the team’s physician and the coaching staff. Trainers are licensed individuals that must have a keen eye to recognize, evaluate, and assess all injuries that afflict athletes. Athletic trainers have a specialized knowledge in a broad spectrum of health care fields. On any given day we may be anything from a sports psychologist to team nutritionist. We work from dawn to dusk daily to ready the “athlete”, to prepare them for making the winning play of the game. Brett Favre didn’t take the Packers through a Cinderella season without an athletic trainer…trust me! Would Jerry Rice have made it back to the 49ers within six months if their team did not have a trainer? So the next time you see someone supplying the athletes with water please look a little longer and a little closer and you will see a team of persons working hard to keep the team healthy, solid, and whole.