When the afternoon whistle blows, the crowd notices the goals, the saves, and the big wins. But on the sidelines, two men are watching every step, pivot, and collision with expert eyes. When an athlete suddenly goes down, they are the first onto the field and often the last to leave the training room. At PDS, they are Henry Minarick, head athletic trainer for 13 years, and Bryce Geesaman, assistant athletic trainer in his first year. Both of them said graduate school played a major role in preparing them for athletic training, when they had lots of hands-on training and internship to build skills in sports medicine and rehabilitation.

A typical day during sports season is packed. Their work includes getting equipment ready, restocking supplies, answering emails and phone calls, helping athletes with treatment and rehab, preparing for practices and games, and then covering those events and cleaning up. At the center of all of these is one goal: making sure student athletes receive quality medical care while following PDS policies. This becomes especially important when injuries happen. In an emergency, the trainers first make sure the scene is safe, then assess the injury, figure out how it happened, and decide what kind of help is needed. Depending on the situation, it could mean calling for an ambulance or additional help.

Like any job, athletic training comes with challenges. Minarick said, “The work hours are challenging, sometimes you get home later or earlier. Sometimes there isn’t much time to do some things, like rehab (work).” Geesaman added that working around students’ busy schedules can also be difficult, because “sometimes students have other priorities.”

Still, both enjoy their job because it is rewarding. Minarick shared, “helping a student athlete get back on the field, to get them to return to their sport” is the best part of his work. Geesaman agreed, “Number one satisfaction is seeing players return to play.” However, he also enjoys the pre-practice and pre-game treatment, like taping and wrapping, and helping athletes optimize motor skills.

For students interested in athletic training, physical therapy, or sports medicine, both trainers encouraged getting started early. PDS courses like Health and Anatomy and Physiology are strong starting points.

Next time when you see our athletic trainers, take a moment to greet and thank them, because behind every comeback is a lot of unseen work.