Belle Mahoney

Late in the afternoon, the trainer’s room buzzes with the sound of tape ripping and voices talking over each other. Students walk in, stomping their feet, all sports combining. In the middle of all of the chaos is the school’s athletic trainer, Jessica Weiler, who stays calm and focused on each task at hand, ready to help. 

“One of the toughest parts of my job is taking away the opportunity for an athlete to do what they love in a moment of injury or risk. I see kids when they are having their worst day, going through a lot of emotions and pain, and that can weigh down on our shoulders as healthcare providers,” Weiler said.  

Going through an injury can be hard for some and treating this discomfort can be a lot of stress on somebody’s shoulders, but having multiple connections with outside networks can be helpful during this process as a healthcare provider. 

“… Working through a hospital allows me to have numerous connections to help facilitate appointments with providers if an athlete needs to be seen and doesn’t already have somewhere to go,” Weiler said. “So though I am at a school full time, there are a lot of behind the scenes communication with Mercy providers and administration to help me do my job here well and give the best care that I can to the students. I am often a middle man of helping families decide if and what type of further medical care might be helpful for their child.”

Being staffed full-time at the school, Weiler is able to spend her mornings with her family. Her office is not run like a typical 9-5 career. Often opening at 1 p.m. and wrapping up after all sporting events and games have come to an end, Weiler commits many of her nights to helping ensure OHS athletes a healthy and safe sporting event. While a time commitment, Weiler feels it is ultimately rewarding

“Though there are many positives to my job, one of my favorite aspects is getting to see the progression of someone return from an injury, especially a head injury or something that required surgery. It is fulfilling to see the light return to their eyes and all their hard work pay off when they are back to doing what they love,” Weiler said.

Being in the fall season, there are multiple sports currently going on and this can lead to a busier season for the trainer. Actively building a connection with students can make them trust the caregiver with more. 

“The more students trust me, the more likely they will report problems to me. If I take someone seriously when they come to me for a jammed finger or wound, they will be more comfortable talking to me when they have a concussion or dislocation. I am also a neutral mind to talk to about the challenges and frustrations that come with athletics,” Weiler said. 

Coming from experience can help Weiler empathize with students and athletes as well, creating a better connection and may even improve recoveries. 

“… having a season-ending injury at the start of my senior year of cross country, which would not have ruined my season had I actually rested instead of spending double time on the elliptical and in the pool trying to stay in shape. I felt completely fine in two to three weeks of total rest after season, but nobody was there telling me not to keep trying to do all the things for the three months prior,” Weiler said. 

Understanding athletes on a deeper level is beneficial for Weiler, but she feels that athletes having a deeper understanding of what the athletic trainer does and who she is can make asking for help that much easier. 

“If the amount of people in the training room is a bit intimidating, pull me aside and ask to speak to me at a different time, or shoot me an email requesting an appointment,” Weiler said. “I am here to help athletes feel better when they play the sports they love, and I want these services to be available to all athletes equally.”