An athletic trainer at a large high school such as Glenbard East is busy enough without getting bogged down by minutia.
But then we always hear it’s the little things that make a difference.
Sweating the small stuff and relieving pressure on Rams certified athletic trainer Chris Murphy is where his student aides excel.
“For kids who are athletes it’s a great way to be involved in the off-season,” said Murphy, who drew on his own training room experience as a banged-up Round Lake football player as inspiration not only for the program, but for his career.
“For kids who are not athletes it’s a great way to be involved in athletics without being an athlete,” he said.
The aides handle all the water — those big 10-gallon jugs and myriad bottles plus cups of Gatorade for halftime — for the players, coaches and referees. They fill ice chests, prepare ice bags, load carts, treat small injuries such as cuts.
They’ll tighten a helmet, adjust a chin strap, track down any loose piece of equipment a player might need at any time.
The aides learn minor taping procedures and first aid skills, but on game day and when injuries occur, laws such as the Illinois Athletic Trainers Practice Act ensure Murphy or assistant McKenna Davidson, a certified athletic trainer with Athletico Physical Training in Glen Ellyn, attend to the players.
Called into action primarily at football practices and games with spot or setup duty at other Rams athletic events the remainder of the term, between two and 10 aides have assisted Murphy most every year since he started at Glenbard East in 2003.
This year there are seven, all female students: senior Jiana Biafora; juniors Zainab Ahmed, Emily Brumbaugh, Miley Lopez, Berenice Medina, and Caroline Marchewka; and sophomore Shannon Roberts, who brings two years’ experience.
They do make a difference.
“I think they always do, because they’re an essential part of the organization,” said Glenbard East football coach John Walters. “At timeouts, guys looking for stuff — they need a cleat, whatever the case may be. Those girls are always there, prepared and willing to do something to help the team out.”
Some of Murphy’s aides have used their experience as an introduction to professional careers.
“Being a senior, I’m going to be going into something very similar in this kind of field in athletic training when I graduate and go to college,” Biafora said.
At games they’ll split into groups, some working the Glenbard East sideline and others behind the bench, making sure hydration’s up to snuff and setting up the Rams’ halftime location. After halftime, they switch positions.
One aide will shadow Murphy and Davidson should there be an injury, “so they kind of get an idea of what athletic training is and how we treat injuries,” Davidson said.
They serve as an extra set of eyes, a helping hand, even another pair of ears. Occasionally, a player may tell an aide about an injury, or they’ll notice something’s wrong. They’ll then alert Murphy or Davidson.
“I’ve learned how to tape fingers, I’ve learned how to tape wrists, I’ve learned how to make a good ice pack, obviously fill the waters and take everything down,” said Marchewka, a track and field athlete who has decided to study sports medicine in college.
“I’d say I’ve learned really good sportsmanship, too, and I’ve learned a lot about the game that you wouldn’t realize if you were just standing in the stands,” she said.
Murphy said he’ll see 50 to 60 athletes in all sports in the trainer’s room between the end of school and the start of games or practices.
His student aides allow him to direct his attention to where it’s most needed.
“They are a great group of kids. They help us out more than they know, just being able to take care of some of the dirty work,” Murphy said.
“If we had to focus on that as well, it adds a whole other stressor to our plate.”