Being involved in sports can be dangerous. There will inevitably be bruises, cuts and broken bones, but who takes care of those injuries? I sat down with Emilie Eix, a student in the sports medicine program, to answer that question. She informs us of all that encompasses the practice of treating athletes.

What is sports medicine?

Sports medicine is the students in this program’s entire life. We help the guys in the field when they get hurt and when they need hydration. We’re here longer than they are. They’re our family. Basically, [sports medicine] is the umbrella [term] for the medical care of athletes. We focus on a lot of first aid safety, emergency care, taping skills and doing various rehabs. Learning sports medicine also teaches health and wellness, injury prevention, injury care, emergency care, leadership and being a part of a team. We’re the team behind the team and it really helps us learn all these skills that we need.

Why did you take this class?

I started freshman year just for fun. I thought it’d be fun to be a part of the football team because Allen is known for it. I didn’t choose it thinking that I would go into it meeting people this fun and learning that I might want to do this for a living, but it has really showed me that this is something I could see myself doing. It’s definitely hard work. We are here almost every night and we’re here in the morning helping with treatment. We’re here more than we’re at home most of the time. It’s just something that takes up a lot of time, but it’s worth it. We help the players and I can’t imagine not doing this everyday after school. I’ve done it for four years; it’s not something I’d ever give up on after that long.

What are different opportunities you can get from sports medicine?

Some opportunities include getting to watch first hand injuries and how they get rehab. We get to meet all these players, see where they get to go for college and we really become part of the family here. This is something that is definitely for fun but is also something you could blossom into a career, and you could get a lot of good hands on experience as well as being on the sidelines with all these amazing players. For career opportunities, we could be just like Doc– Mike Harrison– and Mary Miller, our head trainers, or we could go to a high school and be a head trainer, go to any pro sports team, college team or have our own practice in any sort of health medicine. A lot of students go on to be athletic trainers at the college level and then go off to have their own programs at different high schools or colleges. Some jobs you could get are a team doctor, physical therapist, massage therapist, chiropractor, dentist, physician that does concussion care, or orthopedic If somebody gets their teeth knocked out by a ball, then they have to go to the dentist to get it fixed.

What do you do in this class? What is your favorite activity or lesson?

This class is an accurate representation of the profession. Right now, in college, it is a five to six year program and you get a masters. We learn all sorts of rehab and first-hand experience on how these players get better. We watch and learn about these injuries, stuff that you would never see outside of sports. We get to learn about all these players, the sports we go to, and really get to meet everybody around here. We have our own bus with all our own stuff for when we go to the games. Every single game we’re there. Every sort of game, you will at least find two trainers or more. It’s very fun. My favorite thing about this class is being a part of this family. This is my second family here and we really are close, close to the players and close to the coaches. I’ve gained leadership through helping my peers, teaching them what to do and helping with the underclassmen. It’s really been a learning opportunity for everyone here, I believe.

Sports medicine is a fun and interesting class and the people in it are open to a world of opportunities and experiences that can help them flourish in their lives.

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