Being an athletic training student, it is not all that uncommon to be asked "what is that?" Often times people associate us with a personal trainer or a person who helps train athletes. Bottom line is, athletic trainers help athletes prevent injuries and recover from them. They are the behind the scenes heroes that keep athletes healthy, from recreational sports to professional leagues.

Being an athletic training student means sacrificing free time and spending time with friends. It means waking up for early morning practices that begin at 5:00 a.m. and then having to pry your eyes open trying not to fall asleep during class. It means going to your clinical site right after class is out and staying there until 8:00 p.m. or later cleaning up after the athletes.

After clinicals are over you head home and see what you can pull together for dinner and then lock yourself in your room to study. You are lucky if you get to bed a decent time (12:30 a.m. is early) and then wake up the next day and do it all over again, with less energy. But it is all worth it, because it is such a rewarding experiencing.

The whole reason we do it is to help the athletes perform at their best. You form a relationship with the athletes that is indescribable. They trust you completely and in return you are able to treat them better, it's amazing. It makes those early mornings easier and your nonexistent social life a little more acceptable.

And through it all, you become like a family with your classmates. You spend countless hours a week together in class, at clinicals, and studying for your third test in one week. You may have a mental breakdown at least 10 times a day, but for some reason you still like it enough to keep trudging towards your BOC (Board Of Certification). Athletic training is truly a lifestyle.