Name:
Sara Thomas
Team:
Dayton Flyers
Hometown:
Columbia City, IN
Job Title:
Assistant Athletic Trainer
What I do:
I take care of all the medical needs that our players have. I am responsible for referring them to the proper medical professionals, and for the rehabs that return them to play.
How long I've been doing it:
This is my 5th year at UD. I spent two years as a grad assistant at Univ. of Missouri, and was a student athletic trainer in both college and high school.
Training/Education:
B.S. – Ball State University
MEd - University of Missouri
My responsibilities on a "typical" day:
I typically get into the office between 8-8:30 AM. I do treatments and rehab with both women’s basketball and any other athletes during the morning hours. I also try to get some paperwork done during this time. I sit down with Coach Jabir for about 15 mintues each morning around 10 AM to go through the injury report. I leave for UD arena to get the girls ready for practice around 11:30 AM. During practice, I am monitoring those with injuries, doing some rehabs on the side if anyone is hurt, and helping the managers keep things organized. After practice, I do treatments on those that need them, and wrap on lots of ice! I usually go back to my office on campus to finish up any problems that I have with my other teams (I am the women’s rowing athletic trainer, and supervise a graduate assistant) and finish some of my daily paperwork. I usually sit down for a few minutes at the end of the day to make rehab sheets up for the next day.
My responsibilities on a game day:
My day looks pretty similar on the mornings of game days. I go into the office and get some work done, then go to shoot around. During shoot around, I set up the locker rooms for the game. After shoot around, I go back to the office for a while before going to team meal. Then it’s back to the arena to finish setting up the court, and then get the girls ready for the game. I meet and greet the visiting team’s athletic trainer, and make sure they have everything they need. During the game I take care of any injuries that come up, and get any new injuries evaluated by the doctor after the game.
Biggest challenge:
The biggest challenge of my job is telling athletes that they have to sit out, no matter what length of time that may be. At the same time, though, it is a great and enjoyable challenge to work through rehabs and push the athletes to get better.
Biggest reward:
It is an extremely rewarding feeling to watch an athlete work hard through her injury and then come back to practice or games. To know that you had some part in that recovery is really a great feeling.
Biggest misconception about this job:
That all we do is tape ankles and put ice on things. Athletic trainers are involved in all aspects of the medical care for these athletes, whether it is dealing with injuries, illnesses, or even just being an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. Often times, I am the mother away from home for my athletes.
To be most successful at this job...
You have to be creative and willing to try new things. Sometimes the typical treatment for an injury just isn’t good enough. You have to be willing to do some research and try some things that you haven’t tried before. You also have to have good communication skills and work well with people from all different walks of life.
Advice I'd give to someone pursuing this career:
Make sure you understand the time commitment! I work a lot of hours, and we are on the road a lot during season. That can be a lot of time away from family.
What I love about sports:
There is something new going on every time we take the court. You never know what is going to happen.
When I leave this job I'd like to be able to say that I...
Had athletes that understood that I really care about them, and that I enjoy watching them develop as people. I would also like to be able to say that I was able to play a role in the success of the teams that I have worked with.