March is National Athletic Trainer Month, so we caught up with our new athletic training staff member, Caiti Ketcham! Known as “Mom” to the Hobart Soccer Team, Meet Caiti!
Majors: Exercise Science at Skidmore Undergraduate School, Entry-Level Athletic Training at Plymouth Graduate School
Hometown: North Clarendon, VT
HC: Why did you decide to come to HWS? Has it been a good decision?
CK: When I was at undergraduate school at Skidmore College, I played softball. Skidmore is also a Liberty League school like HWS. When I decided to become an athletic trainer, I thought it would be cool to come full circle and go back to the Liberty League. This has been the best decision I have ever made.
HC: What is your favorite part about working here?
CK: The best part about my job is definitely the relationships I make with all the athletes here. I like being able to see them succeed and grow as both people and athletes.
HC: What is the most memorable injury you have ever treated or seen?
CK: When I was still at Plymouth for graduate school, we had a football player tear his patella tendon and his ACL at the same time (both located in the knee). It sounded like a soda bottle crackling when it happened and at first everyone was unsure what exactly was going on and how injured he was. Then we got out on the field and realized that something was really not right.
So seeing him go through the healing process and finally return to playing last year was really exciting. That is the most rewarding part of athletic training, watching an athlete accomplish their goals and get better and better.
HC: What is the coolest thing you have been able to do as an athletic trainer?
CK: A few years ago I was able to work at the Boston Marathon, and it was amazing. I worked the chute at the finish line so I was really in charge of helping catch collapsing runners as they crossed the line.
HC: Where do you see yourself in five years?
CK: In five years I will still be in athletic training, working with college athletes. I will probably still work at HWS because I would miss all my athletes too much if I left!
HC: What is one thing people do not know about you?
CK: Hmmm… I’m really an open book! I guess it would be the fact that I was a tap dancer for eight years when I was a kid.
HC: Do you have a life motto?
CK: Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
HC: Lastly, with it being National Athletic Training Month, do you guys have any plans?
CK: Well we just launched out very own twitter! Follow us @hwssportsmed. We are also going to be on “The Score” radio show with Krista Federow and Morgan Bayreuther. Of course though, we are just going to keep preparing our athletes as we normally do because kids gotta keep performing!
“Favorites”
Place on Campus: Athletic Training Room
Place in Geneva: Eddie O’Briens (Can I say that?)
Season: Summer
Movie: Sandlot or Varsity Blues
Celebrity Crush: Lets keep it classic, Ryan Gosling
Accessory: My fanny pack
Nickname: The whole men’s soccer team calls me mom!
Follow HWS Athletic Trainers on Twitter Here!