Athletic trainers are a key necessity for a school to have because there is so many student athletes. Many people don’t realize what how important an athletic trainer is to the sports teams of the school. School Athletic trainers are not in for the money but are in it for the student athletes in the school.

Q: Why did you become a school athletic trainer?

“Cramer Products offered student athletic training camps at that time, and I had the opportunity to attend one during the summer before my senior year of high school.  I really enjoyed the medical side of athletics, so athletic training was a natural career choice for me.”   

Q: How many years did you go to college and where did you go? 

“I went to the University of Kansas, where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Science with an emphasis in Athletic Training. After graduation, I was required to take the national athletic training certification test. I also have a license from the Kansas Board of Healing Arts in order to practice as an athletic trainer.”

Q: How many years have you been a athletic trainer?

“I was a student athletic trainer for 4 years during college. I passed my Certification exam in August of 1997. I began working for OrthoKansas at that point, and was contracted out to Baldwin High School at that time.”

Q: Were you a student athlete yourself, if so what sport(s) did you play? 

“I played football for 4 years in high school, wrestled for 2 years, and threw shot put for 4 years while in high school.”

Q: What made you want to come to Baldwin?

“When I first started at Baldwin, it was on a contract through OrthoKansas in Lawrence. Honestly, I thought that I would work here for a couple of years while finishing my master’s degree and would then go try to find a job in college athletics. Once I started here, I found that I really enjoyed working in high school athletics. I also met and married my wife, and we decided that Baldwin is a great place to raise children.”    

Q: What is favorite part of your job?

“My favorite part of the job is being around our students. The job is obviously very student oriented. Watching the students grow up and knowing that I have a chance to help them as they chase their goals is a great feeling.”