R-JENERATION: Trainers get student athletes back in the game

Football, volleyball, baseball, wrestling, basketball and other sports make up a typical season of high school athletics. While the coaches, players and uniforms may change, one thing remains constant - the athletic trainers watching out for the athletes.

At Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School, juniors Siena Ensign, Caitlyn Orne, Stacie Graham and senior Danielle Lara have the job of attending each game, home or away, in case a player needs an ankle or wrist wrapped or someone gets hurt.

If someone gets injured, the trainers are called upon to determine what is wrong and get the athlete back in the game as soon as possible, Ensign said.

They are at the beck and call of the players, coaches and Jonathan Orr, the supervising athletic trainer.

Lara has been working for Orr since her freshman year and she has earned a letter in training. Under Orr, she has learned to tape an ankle, which she says is the most difficult part of the trade. She learned how to wrap wrists and treat many sports injuries.

Injuries are part of the game, but some stand out from others.

For Lara, it was a football player who had such a severe concussion that he could not recognize his parents. For Ensign, it was when a basketball player was scratched on the eyelid from another player's glasses. For Orr, it was a dislocated elbow sustained during a wrestling match.

Learning the art of athletic training requires a time commitment. Ensign said they are required to be at school many hours, even on weekends.

This year they began learning in a new training room that "allows (the trainers) to provide better services to the athletes," Orr said.

Despite the time commitment, the job has its perks. Lara likes to train because she gets to look at boys. Ensign likes the job because it brings "something different every day."

The trainers help with every sport but they have their favorites.

Lara prefers football because she is never bored on the sidelines - the players are always looking for her help.

One of the players who gets her help is junior wide receiver Anthony Pryatel-Farmer, who relies on the trainers for taping, stretching and ice.

Pryatel-Farmer said he likes the trainers because it's like "having an on-field doctor."

Lara said she was glad to have this experience before college and "learn something that not a lot of people get to learn."