Athletic Trainers Share Their Stories About How a Fellow AT Influenced and Inspired Them

The winner of our first prize was Tiffany from Grapevine High School.

Tiffany nominated Kamden saying, “Kamden has taken a small 4A school and brought new innovations to it when taking over. He was promoted to be the head athletic trainer going into a COVID year, which has been tough on all of us. As he was being promoted, they also eliminated an athletic trainer position from the school. So, he's had to navigate through being a new Head Athletic Trainer, while downsizing, in the middle of a pandemic. During this time, he has built even more trust from his community. He even managed to secure enough sponsorship to purchase a SideLinER for his school, making it only one of two schools in the area to have one. This advancement is huge because these privacy tents are becoming the gold standard of care. Ensuring his student athletes in a small rural community are receiving the same care as the student athletes in bigger schools is a win for the entire community.

The winner of our second prize was Leslie from Impact Baseball.

Leslie nominated Charlene saying, “I want to nominate a fellow colleague and friend of mine, Charlenne Medina. Charlenne has impacted the athletic training community by participating in the California Athletic Trainer's Association and in the Far West Athletic Trainer's Association and has advocated for licensure and placement of  athletic trainers 's at secondary schools. In the  athletic training community, she has worked with youth sports to collegiate athletes, while also fulfilling the roles of a preceptor in the CSULB Athletic Training program. Outside of her work as an Athletic Trainer, she also assisted and helped firefighters in the California fires last year by providing First Responder services as an EMT. after certification, she assisted in her EMT program to help other students learn new skills. She is a hard worker and has inspired many, including myself, to take our profession further. She deserves to be recognized for all she has done in her early career!”

The winner of our third prize was James from Conway High School.

James nominated Lorin saying, “My nominee is Lorin, a Retired Athletic Trainer and Athletic Director at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Lorin gave me my first job out of college and inspired me to become a volunteer leader within my state, district, and National Athletic Trainer Associations. While I only worked with Lorin for two years before leaving for another job, her activism and volunteer spirit gave me the confidence and knowledge to become a leader myself and I am forever grateful for her mentorship, influence, and continued friendship some 30 years later.”

The winner of our fourth prize was Nicole from Mountain View HS.

Nicole nominated Jessica saying, “Jessica is the most amazing athletic trainer I have ever had the experience of working with here at Mountain View High School. She helped to pilot a program that would offer physical therapy treatments to our student athletes during their study hall classes. This program decreased student absences and recovery time for students and teachers within the school building. She keeps open channels of communication between the students, parents, coaches, teachers, counselors, and the school nurse to facilitate and initiate concussion protocols so the students can return to learning and participating in activities in a timely manner. She answers her cell phone day and night to ensure that our students receive the best care in all of the nation. Jessica decided to pursue her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in the last couple of years and had to take a break from being the athletic trainer at our school.  She currently works at Northside Hospital Sports Medicine and will hopefully finish her degree from which she has had to take a break for personal reasons. Students from the school still go to her for guidance and therapy as we no longer have the programs that she instituted during her presence.”

The winners of our grand prize are April from Miami Southridge SHS and Linette from John A. Ferguson SHS.

April shares, “The Athletic Trainer that inspired me to pursue this profession is Mrs. Linette the head ATC at John A. Ferguson SHS. When I was in 11th grade, I did not pass my sports physical due to a heart murmur. I was not able to participate in basketball that year but remembered that the season prior I spent a lot of time in the Athletic Training Room due to injuries and [ worked on] preventing those injuries from re-occurring. So, I decided to ask her if I could become her student athletic trainer and learn from her. To my amazement she said yes! She taught me everything that I  needed and wanted to know. She taught me the importance of seeing beyond the injury and helping the person fully, since injuries can affect mental health as well. She taught me different ways of taping injuries and how to assess them at the same time. I was in the sports medicine academy in high school and won the Sports Medicine Award in both my 11th and 12th grade years. The coaches also trusted me with taking care of their student athletes in case she was not present. I graduated high school and went off to college, but she always allowed me to come back and intern for her. She helped me out when I wanted to quit school and told me that anything is possible if you keep your eye on what you want. I graduated and took my BOC test before anyone in my class and passed! She took me on as her assistant Athletic Trainer that fall. Just a couple months later there was an opening at a high school for an ATC and she helped me apply. I am now not only her prodigy, but also her friend and colleague. We learn from each other and are always there for each other. She's inspired me to become a better student, teacher, athletic trainer, and most of all, a better person. I care for my athletes’ whole well-being just like how she taught me. Every day when I come to work, I always think back on that day in 11th grade when she took me on and how it molded me to become just like her.”

We want to thank everyone who participated in our giveaway! We loved hearing your stories and appreciate all you do!