3 minute read
Tale of the taped
Trainers go above and beyond the call of duty
Navid Khoi/ Roundup
Trainers are arguably one of the most important assets to a team, they help heal an injury and to prevent an injury, and they are without question the unsung heroes of the team.
This group of individuals are responsible for the care and well being of almost all of the Pierce college athletic teams, making sure they stay fit and healthy through an entire season.
“An athletic trainer is extremely valuable to a team,” said assistant head coach of Pierce College’s football team Jason Sabolic. “They help prepare the athletes better on a one on one basis, to get them ready to play.”
The man in charge of the football team agrees.
“A trainer is very vital to our team,” Pierce Head Football Coach Efrain Martinez said. “Without trainers our team would have a lot of injuries and that makes my job much harder on me.”
Shari Sipka is just one of the trainers that make the job for a player and a coach much easier by making sure everyone is ready to go to battle in their respective sport; but yet their staff never gets the credit for how much they mean to a team.
“Trainers absolutely do not get the credit they deserve,” Sabolic said.
However, Head Coach Martinez disagrees with the notion that trainers don’t get the credit they deserve, having had plenty of interaction with the training staff being that football is a contact sport.
“At our school the trainers get the credit they deserve, having such good teams like girls volleyball and soccer, I think people see what they do to help the teams, so yes I think they do,” Martinez said.
To become a trainer you need a minimum of at least your bachelors degree, but a masters is recommended. The field for a trainer is slowly starting to expand, giving a trainer more options for areas to work in other than just sports related. Job prospects should be good in both the healthcare industry and in high schools, but competition is expected for positions with professional and college sports teams.
“Trainers are kind of like teachers, they’re teachers of the muscle group and fundamentals,” Sabolic said.
All in all, Pierce College’s behind-the-scenes Generals are helping to ensure the school’s various athletic programs experience as much success as possible, both in the win column, and in the medical room.
