Sheila Cathcart has spent 20 years as an athletic trainer within the Aiken County school system.
Despite her long tenure, Cathcart said she doesn’t get bored and wakes up each day relishing the potential challenges that could arise.
“When you’ve been doing it for 20 years, there are some things that get a little redundant,” Cathcart said. “But, there’s always something new; and you’re always trying to figure things out.”
While lots of Aiken residents enjoy watching the local high school football teams compete on Friday nights, there are many cogs in the athletic machine beyond the coaches and the players seen on the field and sidelines.
Cathcart is one of those cogs. As an athletic trainer who covers Aiken High School, she serves lots of roles, some of which can go unnoticed.
“Some of us call (athletic training) a jack-of-all-trades, but essentially, we’re there from the moment everything hits the ground to when they return back to place,” she said. “So, we’re there for prevention. We’re there to take care of an injury; sometimes, we’re there for first response if it’s a really nasty injury.”
Athletic trainers are described as “health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions,” according to the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.
During Aiken High’s football practices during the week, Cathcart, who has also worked with South Aiken High, can be seen all over the field.
She walks around talking to players and giving them sprays with a water bottle to keep them cool from the beating sun. Players oftentimes walk up to her to describe an issue they’re having and get a recommendation from her.
“One of the great things about (athletic training) is that not only are you treating (an injury) when it happens, you get to know the athlete, you get to know the person, and you treat them; and in many cases, you may even do rehabilitation,” Cathcart said. “You get to see them come back to play, so you get the full circle.”
Athletic Trainer Sheila Cathcart walks around with a digital psychrometer during practice to measure enviornmental conditions including the temparature and humidity.
Read the full Aiken Standard article here.