When student athletes get injured on the field, the duty falls on athletic trainer Esther Horner to get these players back into the game.
Athletic training ?involves prevention, rehabilitation, emergency care and evaluation,? Horner said.
In high school, Horner played softball and volleyball, where she first acquired an interest in sports medicine.
?I had a coach who did athletic training,? Horner said. ?[I learned that the field] combines athletics with health care.?
Horner went on to study athletic training for four years at Messiah College in Pennsylvania before taking the necessary athletic trainer?s certification exam.
However, when not at work, Horner enjoys traveling.
?Experiencing new cultures and seeing different things are my favorite [aspects of traveling],? she said.
She recently went to Jamaica and is planning on going to Italy this summer.
?If I could travel anywhere in the world it would be the Maldives Islands,? Horner said. ?It?s beautiful there and I?ve always wanted to go.?
Horner also got married during the this winter?s massive blizzard. However, inclement weather was not the only unexpected aspect of her wedding day.
?When I went to give a friend a hug, the back of my [dress?] train caught on fire,? she said.
Although this is her first year as a Statesman, Horner already feels adapted to her new workplace. ?I love it here,? she said.
?I love the students, the staff. It?s a great community.?
Horner also has the support of head athletic trainer John Reynolds, who shares training duties with her.
?Our athletes are in capable hands,? Reynolds said.
The athletes themselves are pleased with Horner?s role in their training and games.
?She works well with all the athletes,? sophomore Natasha Yaqub said. ?[She doesn?t] push [their injuries] too much.?