Behind every athletic program at Green Hope is the Sports Medicine team, ensuring that every player performs at their very best every game and practice. These students work hard to maintain players’ health on every sports team, from taping ankles and wrists pregame to caring for more severe injuries mid-game.
The GH Falcon sat down with Mrs. Ashley Davidson, a teacher at Green Hope High School and an Athletic Trainer for the Sports Medicine team. She discussed her experience in the matter and what she does. She has been a certified athletic trainer since 2007 and started working at Green Hope in August of 2012. As to what her job entails, she said, “After school, I evaluate and treat young adults in athletic injuries that they sustain during sporting events.”
Mrs. Davidson gave some insight into the positives and negatives of her job. “I enjoy having good relationships with the students, but I don’t enjoy watching us lose games,” she remarked. She elaborated on her interest in the games and said, “This year I’ve enjoyed following soccer the most. At the beginning of the year they were up all the time, but they’ve had a rough end of the season. I believe they’re gonna pull through.”
Mrs. Davidson ended the interview with some helpful information for those interested in joining the Sports Medicine team and discussed how, “We usually have a selection process at the end of April into May, so you can fill out an application and then you’ll have an interview with myself or Ms. Gaffney. You will then start Sports Med in the August of the following year, so if you want to get involved for next year, look for information in April and May of 2025.”
The GH Falcon also had the opportunity to talk to Shivani Ganer (‘25), a student on the Sports Medicine team. She has been a part of the Sports Medicine team for one year. Ganer originally became interested in Sports Medicine while playing lacrosse for Green Hope and watching the team operate on the sidelines.
While different from other sports, there are still challenges that come with being on the Sports Medicine team.. Ganer outlines the hardships she faces and explained, “The most challenging part of my job is to apply the skills I have learned on the game field. The pressure rises when the expectation is that we are supposed to be attentive all the time.”
Like any other team, a strong connection is built between all of the team members, and Sports Medicine is no different. When talking about what her favorite part of Sports Medicine is, Ganer said, “What I enjoy most about Sports Medicine is Friday night football games and working with my friends that are also on the Sports Medicine team.”
Sports Medicine is a great opportunity to learn skills for future endeavours in a medical or athletic field, but similarly to athletes, they don’t always take sports past high school and those on Sports Medicine don’t necessarily do it for the work experience. “I am not planning to do anything Sports Medicine related in the future. However, it is a very fun club that I look forward to everyday. It makes you step outside your comfort zone and learn new things,” Ganer discussed.
Sports Medicine teams are an essential part of all athletics ranging from high school sports to a professional level. They deserve the same respect and attention as the other teams, and this team is a great opportunity for anyone looking for a medical or athletic career.
