An athletic trainer is in the rare position of hoping a certain aspect of their job never has to take place.
"We hope to not see major injuries, but there are a few every year that require emergency care and referral," said Chris Nelson, Head Athletic Trainer for Weatherford College. "Athletic trainers are commonly the first on the scene and have the job to quickly recognize, evaluate, treat, and refer to emergency situations."
In other words, athletic trainers are essential to athletes being able to do all they do. They aren't doctors, but doctors rely on them to identify what is immediately wrong and tend to it on the spot before they can get to a doctor.
"We see everything from abrasions and nose bleeds, sprains and strains of ligaments and muscles, general medical concerns, concussions, and injuries that require surgery followed by rehabilitation/return to sport," Nelson said.
Also, thanks to Athletic trainers, minor injuries are often kept from becoming serious ones.
"There are minor injuries that, if caught early enough, can be treated and corrected with exercise and the athlete can miss little to no athletic participation," Nelson said.
The day-to-day duties of the WC athletic training staff begin each day with preparation for that day and the rest of the week. How can they effectively and efficiently provide medical coverage for practices, strength/conditioning sessions, and games for the nine sports at Weatherford College?
Duties also include coordinating referrals to doctors for evaluations, X-rays, MRIs, and surgeries. A typical day in the athletic training room consists of rehabilitation of injuries, corrective exercise, pre-practice warm-up, post-practice treatments for injuries, and body recovery.
"In times that there are no athletes in the athletic training room there is documentation of injury evaluations, treatments, inventory and ordering of supplies," Nelson said. "Our staff also supervises and coordinates the new athletic weight room, recovery room, and nutrition lounge in the top tier of the Vickie and Jerry Durant Residence Hall."
Nelson has been at Weatherford College since 2010. In that time he has seen many changes. The athletic department has added five sports and upgraded many of the athletic facilities.
Among those changes was the addition of Associate Athletic Trainer Ryleigh Hyles in 2022.
"Chris had this goal of creating an associate position and not an assistant position in the sense that we would take the sports medicine department and expand its range without creating a separation in the two athletic trainer positions," Hyles said.
Most sports medicine departments at colleges and universities have sport assignments - specific trainers for each sport. Hyles noted that at WC they split the athletic duties 50/50, so that one AT is not seen as the “main baseball AT” or the “main basketball AT” etc.
"Chris and I split all the home event coverage and make sure that we communicate on the injuries of the athletes to make sure that they don’t feel like they have to see a specific AT," she said.
Hyles called working alongside Nelson one of her biggest blessings.
"This position was my first job as a certified athletic trainer right out of college and I think the biggest thing I learned was communication is key to a successful athletics department and an even bigger key to allowing a sports medicine department elevate the athletic programs," she said.
"I was able to become a part of this utopia of an athletic department that Chris had created over the years through building trust amongst coaches and players, and I’ve been lucky enough to learn the art of trust through communication by seeing it firsthand alongside Chris."
The most common injuries Nelson and Hyles deal with are mild ankle sprains and muscle strains. However, they have also had to deal with some fractures and dislocations.
Nelson stressed that the recovery of an athlete also requires the athlete to take the treatment seriously.
"We encourage positive energy and a compliant attitude towards the treatment/rehab plan," he said.
And when it all works - which it does with regularity - Hyles said it is the most wonderful feeling that she actually wishes never existed. After all, before the recovery comes the injury and all that goes into rehabilitation.
"The recovery process is a long and difficult journey for athletes, and watching an athlete make it to the end of that journey is a very bittersweet moment for me because I love seeing them work hard and succeed but ideally - for me - no one would get injured in the first place," she said. "I love helping athletes and being their biggest supporter in games and times of injury, but in a perfect world my job would be solely performance enhancement and injury prevention."
Hyles said she takes just as much pride in the front end of athletic training as she does the big rehabs.
"Not every injury takes a kid out of the game, and I think that’s where the investment in an AT is really seen," she said. "It’s a lot of corrective exercise and therapeutic treatments throughout the week to keep chronic injuries at bay, and strengthening specific muscle groups to keep bigger injuries from occurring. That’s what keeps high-caliber athletes performing like high-caliber athletes through long seasons."
While athletic trainers are commonplace throughout all sports today, there was a time when it was considered something special if a school had a trainer or staff on hand.
"It is important to have access to an athletic trainer and a sports medicine department to prevent, recognize, evaluate, and treat acute/chronic injuries," Nelson said. "Prevention of injuries is something that is always changing and an area that we are working on as an athletic department every year to do through corrective exercise, dynamic warm-ups, and strength and conditioning.
"There are more athletic trainers working in many places that active people are found. Settings that athletic trainers are being employed include conventional sports at secondary schools, colleges/universities, performing arts, clinics, military, warehouses, clinics.
"All have the same goal - prevent, recognize, and treat injuries in the physically active person."
As for the situation at WC, Hyles said she's not sure it’s replicated in many other places. It’s not often an organization can have two athletic trainers seamlessly care for roughly 200 athletes and cover over 200 home events without a hitch.
"The diversity in athletes we get to work with is also unmatched. On any given day I can encounter a volleyball player to a baseball player to a roughstock rider all of which are some the best athletes in the state at their respective sport," she said. "Not to mention the rich history of successful athletic programs and great coaches that go along with it."
Then, she added with a smile, "National Athletic Training Month is March. I take my gifts in the form of coffee and Coyote wins."
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