Always at a practice, game, meet or match, the athletic trainers seem to be omnipresent. Aiming to prevent injuries as well as treat them, Brian Killinger and Jesse Brinks spend much of their time with students.
With a very busy schedule, Killinger and Brinks both sacrifice a lot to help the students at our school each day.
“It’s very hard to have a social life or any other life outside of athletic training,” Killinger said. “I’m okay with that. I like it.”
The passion that the athletic trainers have for their job is what gets them through the long and busy days. Understanding the importance of what they do, Killinger and Brinks love athletic training. Although they often deal with the typical sprain or strain, the primary role of athletic trainers is to keep student-athletes safe in the case of an emergency.
“During one of our basketball scrimmages in 2008, a young man’s heart stopped beating. So, we had to rush to action. I helped to revive that young man,” Brinks said.
However, less catastrophic injuries are also a big part of the job. Through these, Killinger and Brinks are able to work closely with students and build relationships. Watching these athletes, Killinger and Brinks are able to find joy in their jobs through working with students.
“[Seeing our athletes succeed is] the most rewarding part. But then also the part of seeing an athlete that’s had an injury and worked their way back,” Brinks said.
Through all of the help that they provide, the bonds that Killinger and Brinks build with student-athletes become important to many of them. In some cases, like that of senior Kourtney Baker, they even inspire students.
“When I came into high school I knew that I wanted to do something with athletic training,” Baker said. “Four years later, seeing and knowing how much they helped me and my teammates makes me want to be like them even more.”
Stories like Baker’s are exactly why Killinger and Brinks do their job.
“The best part of my job is when we know that we had an impact on someone’s life,” Killinger said.
Both Brinks and Killinger do just that for the many student-athletes at Northview. Leaving an impression on all of the students that they work with, many say that students are very lucky to have our trainers.
“These two are the best in the business and I wouldn’t want another pair looking out for me,” junior athlete Jules Hidalgo said.
