Athletic Trainers are amongst many of the unsung heroes of collegiate sports. They can go unnoticed and unthanked for all that they do for athletes. These awesome people often don’t get enough credit for how much they really do but, I would like to take the time now to thank you for...

1. Thank you for listening to me complain about everything that hurt.

Then proceeding to reassure me that I am not, in fact, dying. You made sure to give me a logical explanation as to why something was hurting and even if you didn’t know the answer, you always tricked me into believing you did.

2. Thank you for fixing me when I was broken.

You made sure I stayed on top of doctor's visits and rehab, even though half the time I complained that I couldn't do it and, that I might die if I do it. For making the days that I was in a lot of pain easier so I could get through it.

3. Thank you for not letting me cut off my arm.

Or my ankle, or my leg, or my head, or whatever limb was hurting that day. I know there were times I went behind your back and asked other people to cut it off for me, but you always made sure it never happened. Then on the days you said I could, I knew that it was bad, and if you would have allowed it to be cut off it would make typing this extremely difficult.

4. Thank you for being my friend.

You know my weird habits, my favorite movies, my interests, my life. You were there to celebrate all my successes like when I was finally cleared to go back to practice after four months, when I got that job I had applied for, when I got an A on the presentation or project you had heard me talking about for weeks. You’ve been there through it all and I’m pretty sure that qualifies as friendship.

5. Thank you for being there when things were rough.

Through the days I felt anxious, the times I was doubting that I would ever get better or the days I was in a lot of pain, you always seem to know exactly what to say to make the hard moments seem a little bit easier. You made it easier for me to believe that everything was going to be okay.

6. Thank you for being there when I got hurt.

I know this one seems painfully obvious, but you being the first person I saw after I went down and hearing you reassure me that I was going to be okay meant everything to me. You made me laugh when I was so upset at myself and my body for being hurt. You were one of the only people who I believed when you told me that it was going to get better.

7. Thank you for everything.

The sacrifices you make to be there even on late days, or when you have to be there early, or being there on the weekends. You deal with our attitudes, our parents and our coaches. Thank you for everything you do because we can’t do what we do without you.