You could find Rayven Leadon and Jennie Greer on the sidelines of Dragon Stadium on Friday nights during football season. And they have plans to remain in a medical field after graduation – Jennie as a licensed athletic trainer and Rayven as a nurse.
For now, Rayven and Jennie are student trainers for Bryan Trotty, NISD’s head athletic trainer.
“I’m really, really proud of what they’ve become,” Trotty said. Many of his student trainers are with him all four years, growing into more and more responsibility.
Jennie wants to remain in athletic training. She plans on attending Stephen F. Austin State University next year – that’s Trotty’s alma mater – obtaining a master’s degree and working her way up to the National Football League as a trainer.
Rayven plans on attending LSU next fall and earning a master’s degree in nursing.
A number of Trotty’s students have pursued athletic training as a career. Others, he said, have remained in the medical field, working in nursing or physical therapy.
“To most people, they only see us taping ankles and giving out water,” said Trotty. “What they don’t see is the work that goes into evaluating, treating and assisting in the recovery from injuries.” The students on the inside can see that and get a feel for what those kinds of careers might be like, he said.
Trotty is a native of Kountze, in southeast Texas. He attended SFA and is now in his 10th year with Nacogdoches ISD.
Jennie and Rayven are just two of the student trainers Trotty uses throughout the school year. He also has two assistant trainers – Jessica Jobs is in her first year at Nacogdoches High School and Denise De Luna is in her second year at McMichael Middle School.
There’s also student trainers from the graduate program at SFA that help out, Trotty said. “They’re still learning but are old enough to help out. It’s a relationship that benefits NISD.”
NHS students go through an interview process to measure dedication and maturity to be a student trainer. They are then eased into the program, earning more responsibility by proving to be trustworthy as they move along at school.
“Their work is extremely valuable to me.” “They work super hard.”
Student trainers from NHS can earn the right to travel with one of the teams (not football). “They really worked their tails off to prove themselves.” Trotty has had student trainers travel with basketball, soccer, baseball and track and field teams; he’s a certified CPR instructor and can certify student trainers in CPR and first aid.
Football is drawing to a close, but the truly busy season is only just beginning for the athletic training staff. Basketball teams tip off their schedules in November, and soccer teams will soon be getting underway. February is when the schedule truly gets hectic, Trotty said, when basketball is still going and spring sports begin in earnest.
“Football can seem to dominate the schedule,” he said, “but in reality, the schedule is much more harried during the spring when there are so many sports in season.”
What football can do is dominate the training room.
“You’ve got three teams playing a high-contact sport,” Trotty said. Lots of players are involved, and the potential for injuries is much higher. “You can find a good adjustment to the schedule.”
In fact, he said his hope for the remainder of the fall: “All I need for them to do is be healthy and happy.”
Trotty describes the interaction and the relationship that often developes between training staff and athletes rehabbing injuries, whether significant or minor. There’s help with recovery, and it’s mental and physical, he said. “You get to be a part of it. I feel very privileged to be a part of that.”
Jennie agreed.
“It’s the bond you create with your team and the players,” Jennie said, citing one of her favorite things about working as a student trainer.
This kind of work requires a lot of time away from home and family; Trotty says his wife is understanding. “Nac’s been a really good environment for my family,” he said.
Trotty’s wife is the BSN Coordinator for SFA’s School of Nursing. His children spend a lot of time at the training room and athletic facilities, spending a lot of time around coaches and the players.
He also spends greater amounts of time coaching students through their recoveries from injuries. Oftentimes that requires providing emotion and mental support to help guide the player back on the field or court.
“I feel there’s a greater need for students to have positive reinforcement in their lives,” he said. Sometimes that recovery can be influenced – negatively or positively – by home life, school or relationships.
“A lot of times I have to remind them it’s ok to be disappointed or let down. What’s not ok is to let that consume their life.”
Hopefully, Trotty said, he can help a student learn a lesson about overcoming a hurdle, something that can be applied to their future. Really, that’s the best part about playing sports, he said.
“A lot of times, coaches say that ‘If I’ve helped that student become a better person, then I’ve done my job.’”