Trainers prepare athletes

As the fall athletic seasons ramp up, Trinity’s student athletic trainers face constantly increasing responsibilities.

“During football season, we work a lot. I came to school early for two-a-days and that was 12-hour days sometimes. It could be anywhere from six to 12 hour days. Football season is our main work and their games are the ones we actually go to,” said Tori Copenhaver, a junior student athletic trainer majoring in psychology and communication.

Copenhaver and her fellow trainers work countless hours in order to keep Trinity’s student athletes healthy and prepared for their practices and games. Not only do Trinity’s trainers work in the training room making ice bags and taping ankles, but they also work to make sure athletes have proper insurance and access to certain doctors who can help them with specific injury issues.

“This time of the year is crazy. Right before school starts, all the fall sports come in so that means I have to get their charts ready. I have to make sure everyone is turning in their paperwork, so I will do 40-hour work weeks before school starts,” said Emily Shiraki, a senior trainer majoring in business and communication.
Student athletic trainers are students who qualify for Trinity’s work-study program and are referred to the training program.

“They are student workers just like anybody else on campus. They are either paid through federal work study or through institutional dollars. Essentially, we have two groups of kids. The group of kids who did it in high school and enjoy it, but are here at Trinity to do something else. The other group of kids are folks who are pre-med, pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy — somehow they have some relation or some interest in medicine, sports medicine, rehab, occupational medicine, something along those lines,” said Marc Powell, Trinity’s head athletic trainer.

Prior to the school year, student trainers also go through CPR and first aid certification. Student trainers are typically supervised by staff trainers when treating athletes who have high re-injury risks, but are otherwise given leniency to work with other athletes. Powell feels fortunate to have his group of students.

“We have a really great staff and a great group of kids that work really hard and we feel really fortunate to have them,” Powell said.