What is an athletic trainer?

Apr. 10—MOULTRIE, Ga. — Kathleen Rubino, an athletic trainer for Vereen Rehabilitation and works primarily with athletes at Colquitt County High School, talks about her career and how she settled in South Georgia.

"The town I grew up in was big," said Rubino, who is originally from Bartlett, Ill., which is 45 minutes out of Chicago. "When I got the opportunity to come to Moultrie I didn't know where it was. After a phone and video interview they wanted me to fly out and see the town. At first I didn't think I was going to come because it was so different, but when my mom and I got to Colquitt and met the people, I instantly knew this was it. This is the place I wanted to be."

Why athletic training?

"Originally I was going to do physical therapy, and worked as a PT for six years," said Rubino. "In my junior year at college there was an athletic trainer who was awesome. He lived and breathed the profession and I saw how much fun he had. I thought it was so cool to take care of more than just the rehab part of it. So, I made the switch. PT is great, but there is nothing better than sitting on the sideline and watching a kid succeed after an injury."

So, what does an athletic trainer do?

"You wear a lot of hats as an athletic trainer, but it is always sports specific," said Rubino. "You do on field care, emergency rehab, nutrition, overuse injuries like the patellar tendonitis, ACL tears, fractures or sprains, concussions, and even the mental aspect of the athletes. Some days I'm the trainer; Other days I'm the sister or psychologist."

The ultimate goal is to return players to the sport as quickly and safely as possible. How does that happen?

"It all depends on the injury," said Rubino when asked what the standard recovery time for an injury is. "You need to take into consideration that athlete's history and specifically if they have a history with the injury. It could take a couple days or a couple months. It's hard to say."

Rubino goes on to explain how it's important to watch the players during play.

"Depending on the situation you can tell what the injury is by how the kid falls,' said Rubino. "Obviously, you can't be certain until you check them out, but if you see what movements and motions cause the injury then you might. You have to make sure to get out there quickly though to assess the situation and make sure the athlete is safe. Then, it's how do you get them safely off the field and recover so they can keep playing."

The injury is determined through an evaluation, and there are very specific steps to get the athlete back on the field if there is a more serious injury.

"Rest helps with treatment, but we don't always get that chance because our athletes don't really get an off season," said Rubino. "We do lots of strengthening and range of motion treatments. We also use modalities like the stem machine, massage gun, cupping, or the cryo machine. The kids have become obsessed with cupping."

Cupping, which can be traced back to around 1500 B.C. from ancient Egypt and China, is a form of massage therapy where a glass or ceramic cup is placed on the body to create suction so that muscle fibers are lifted which creates more blood flow.

How many athletes see the athletic trainers?

"Some days I will have 15-20 kids within 45 minutes. Other days I will have two all day. It just all depends who needs it. There are the kids who need therapy, but some just do their own stretching or use the modality machines. It's awesome because even if they just stretch or use the rollers for a couple rehab moves it's still going to make a difference in their performance, physical and mental health overall."

Many modality machines in the two athletic training gyms at Colquitt County High School are generously supplied by Vereen Rehabilitation.

"It's great to have that partnership in the community." said Rubino. "The kids get access to a lot of things, like the cryo machine. I tell the kids all the time they are lucky because I've never seen facilities this nice. It's amazing what this community has done for the Packers."

What is the worst situation Rubino has assisted with?

"I've had one emergency situation this year that was a lot, but I handled it to the best of my ability," said Rubino. "An athlete got struck in the head and they had a history of head injuries and ended up having seizures in the locker room after we got them safely off the field. We had to call on that one. Fortunately the coach, athletic director and athlete's family had a great plan in place. That's why we practice."

After a full recovery, the athlete was able to return to play. Rubino explained that to reach "return to play" status the athlete not only has to receive all zeros on the symptom scale but they also have to complete the return to play protocol to ensure maximum safety.

"It was great because on their first game back everyone was clapping," said Rubino. "It's moments like that which make me feel like, dang, I was a part of that recovery and return. And, it's great to see the community so invested."

Though she has always considered herself one of those invested sports fans, Rubino will not claim to be an athlete herself.

"I never played sports, unless you count basketball in the fifth grade," said Rubino. "My dad would pay me to foul out of the games. He wanted to teach me how to be tough."

So, why Moultrie?

"I love the community and spirit," said Rubino. "The people are so nice here, and it's amazing to see how into the Packers everybody is."

Rubino laughed as she explained how she was confused the first time she saw "Go Pack!" spray painted on the side of a bale of hay.

"Growing up it was so different," said Rubino. "My athletic program in school was nothing close to the one here. You wouldn't really get anything, except maybe an extra team shirt, and that's only if you decided you wanted to pay for it. When I first moved here I called my mom because I was amazed we got a police escort to the games."

Instantly, Rubino got into the Packer spirit. She now has a full closet of Packers clothes, and has her special pregame ritual, which started in college and has grown since then.

"First, I teach an exercise dance class at Colquitt Regional Senior Center with all my ladies and a couple of the guys," said Rubino. "Afterwards, I will pick up my roommate and we will go to Ellianos. If she can't come then I will Facetime her. We don't need a curse! We also try to have the same girl make our coffee and have them write something for the Packers on the cup. Then, I always pick up Chick-fil-A for the boys to eat before the game and I drink a Celsius right before kickoff. I should probably drink something healthier, but it's what I've always done."

Rubino went on to explain how she always wears the same outfit of black shorts, Friday's game day shirt and white Nike's. She will also try to wear the same rings and bracelets as well.

This is how Rubino responded when asked how moving to Colquitt County has been for her.

"If you would have asked me a couple years ago if I would be an athletic trainer at a high school in southern Georgia I would say heck no, but it's one of the best decisions I have ever made. It's something I didn't know I needed."