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Coach calls “Ready” and blows the whistle. I sprint after my teammate around the crease, trying to defend her from taking a shot. Suddenly, I’m on the ground following a hit to the head by her stick. I pick myself up and walk over to the sideline. My trainer on standby says, “Hey buddy, why don’t you lay back down and tell me what you’re feeling.” He and I both knew it was time for concussion testing.

Every college and professional team have another team backing them up. Some of the most important contributors are the athletic trainers. March celebrated athletic trainers nationally, giving them the credit and awareness, they deserve. According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, there are “more than 44,000 members in the U.S. and internationally, and there are about 50,000 ATs practicing nationally.” The Mount’s athletic team is made up of head trainer Brian Lewton, main trainers Logan Chowning, Hannah Geckle, Stephanie Madura, strength and conditioning coordinator Cristina Webb and assistant Ben Wimmer. These special people help athletes stay healthy both on and off the field.

To understand more about what it is like to be an athletic trainer, I talked to my trainer Logan Chowning. In the fall, Chowning is a trainer for football and cross country, and in the spring, he is the trainer for women’s lacrosse as well as track and field. He splits his time between personal appointments, practices, and games or meets. Being with Chowning six days a week, and being jealous of his Skyline Monday routine, I decided to get to know more about him.

Chowning grew up in Cincinnati and got a bachelor’s in science in athletic training at the Mount. After graduating, he went on to work for St. Elizabeth Health Care System as an athletic trainer for Simon Kenton High School. When Covid-19 hit, he was moved to a covid testing tent and tested about 400 people a day.

“I wasn’t sure I had every really planned on coming back and working at the Mount. However, when Brian (Lewton) told me a position was open and asked me to apply, I was excited to be able to come back. I always tell people that it’s the people that make the Mount special. I know there were many people who I met here who had huge impacts on my life and I was excited to have the opportunity to serve our students in the same way.”

Chowning has been a part of the Mount’s trainer team for almost two years and impacts many students’ lives. While each day looks different depending on the season and a team’s schedule, he stays busy.

“Generally, my days start with rehabs. I try to make sure everyone gets fairly individualized attention. But I usually see two to four athletes every half hour to an hour for four to six hours. Then after those four to six hours I usually have 4-6 hours four to six hours of practice or game coverage. All in all, a short day usually will be about nine hours and a longer day can be 12 to 18 hours,” he says.

Spending what can feel like every single moment with your athletes can be a lot, keeping in mind these trainers have their own family and lives outside of work. Just like any other career, it is easy to get burnt out and it is important for them to set time aside for other things.

“I try very hard to separate my personal life and work life. I choose to be very present at home when not at work. I very rarely use my phone and I try to encourage my athletes and coaches to communicate with me via email,” Channing says. “By doing this, I am able to give my family (and myself) adequate separation from work. While I want to be very available to my athletes, I try to make sure everyone’s needs are met in the 9 to 18 hours I’m at work.”

One of my favorite things about having Logan as my trainer is his upbeat nature, he’s always dancing to music during practice and making jokes.

Senior football player Sam Martin suffered an in-game injury that required surgery and physical therapy with Chowning. When asked about having Chowning as a trainer, Martin shared that “He cares on a personal level and truly wants to see me succeed so the care is very good because it’s a personal relationship.”

Chowning seems to always have a positive outlook and advice saying, “I intend to keep working with people in an effort to help them achieve their goals and make a positive and meaningful impact in their lives.”

It is important to take the time to appreciate the wonderful people behind our many student athletes. They work just as hard as any other team, and we owe them a thanks for everything they do.