Every March, National Athletic Training Month (NATM) takes place, organized by the National Athletic Training Association (NATA), to celebrate athletic trainers around the country and to raise awareness about the importance of their work.
According to NATA, athletic trainers are highly qualified, multi-skilled health care professionals who work in collaboration with physicians and in accordance with their education and training. Some of the services they provide include injury and illness prevention, wellness promotion and education, examination, and rehabilitation.
But to students at LFHS, the definition of athletic trainer means something more. They aren’t just trainers or adults— they’re friends.
“The trainers really care about you. They want what is best for everyone and are constantly doing what is best for that person’s injury. They want to see you get better as much as you want yourself to get better,” senior Amelia Kavanagh said. “They always check in on me and ask how I am doing. Their room is a safe place for me.”
The LFHS Athletic Training Team consists of three trainers. Each trainer is different in style and personality, but all three are people you can count on.
Jen Regan has been an athletic trainer for 28 years, 23 of which have been at LFHS. She was drawn to the profession because of her love for sports.
“I always enjoyed sports but was frequently injured as an athlete. This job was a good way to stay in sports while also helping others,” Regan said.
Regan said she applied to work at LFHS because it was the exact model of training she wanted to do.
“I like being able to treat kids during the day and have afternoons to cover sports more freely. It’s the perfect balance,” Regan said.
Bart Castillo has been an athletic trainer for 14 years and has spent the past eight years at LFHS. For Castillo, the best part of his job is being able to help young athletes get back to playing sports.
“When I was a freshman, I broke my arm playing baseball. I know how miserable it is to be out. This job allows me to help kids get out of that misery as fast as possible,” Castillo said.
Castillo also enjoys how he gets to build connections with the students.
“I like working with the kids and building relationships with them. It makes the job more fun,” Castillo said.
Megan Luetje has been an athletic trainer for 20 years and just joined LFHS last year. She wanted to work with athletes because of their mentality and determination.
“I was once assigned to an eighth grader who had broken his leg. When we met, he told me that it was the best thing to ever happen to him. During the MRI, the doctors had found cancer all in his leg,” Luetje said. “They had to amputate it, but that did not stop him from wanting to be a catcher his freshman year.”
Megan says a strong drive such as this is why she loves working with athletes.
“You get to watch them break down and recover. It’s a very special experience,” Luetje said.
All three trainers agree that treating high school athletes is a highly active job. From the new freshmen who are just trying out a sport for the first time to the senior captains who have been playing a sport for years, the trainers provide services to all types of athletes.
They are also injury specialists. The trainers improve functional outcomes which reduces re-injury and shortens rehabilitation time, allowing athletes to get back to their sport as soon as possible.
“I strained my quad sophomore year and didn’t really know the trainers at first. But when I went in, they gave me lots of attention and advice on what I needed to do to get back to playing sports— different exercises, what to avoid, and how to rest it,” senior David Carillo said. “They would help me during the school day, but they were also there after school and even gave me things to do at home.”
Through rehabilitation, the trainers can discuss the prevention of injury for the future. This has a positive impact on the future performance of athletes.
However, the trainers leave more than a positive impact on your athletic performance. They leave a positive impact on you as a person, which finds many students drawn to keep coming back.
“My injury was sophomore year, yet as a senior, I still go to the trainers room just to hang out,” Carillo said. “The environment is fun and the trainers are there to talk to you about anything. They’re really great people.”
March 4 kicks off the start of NATM this year with the tagline being “Champions in Health Care.” The LFHS trainers, as well as trainers around the country, embody this in the way that they provide outstanding care for their students and athletes.
Choosing to celebrate and thank the trainers for all their hard work shows them the same care and compassion that they show us.
