For 82 years the NFL was an all-male sport with all-male athletic trainers, until Ariko Iso, an Oregon State Graduate was hired. She was the first female athletic trainer in NFL history.
“I never really realized that I’m the ‘female athletic trainer.’ I always think of me as an athletic trainer,” Iso said.
Now she’s back in Oregon at her alma mater and she’s one of only eight female head athletic trainers in the entire NCAA division one football.
“So as collegiate athletic trainer, there’s a lot of great female athletic trainer working long careers,” she said.
From Tokyo, Japan, Iso’s journey began with her own injury. She tore her ACL playing high school basketball. At that point, she knew she wanted to help other student athletes get through their injuries.
“In Japan, we didn’t have a program to be a certified athletic trainer, so that’s when I started to look for a program in the states,” she said.
She heard a lecture in Japan from Oregon State’s dean of exercise sport science.
“There’s a lot of pioneer of this field from Oregon State. I think that was a very good experience,” Iso said.
After she moved to the United States, Iso took classes and worked as a student athletic trainer. She completed her master’s degree and eventually became an associate athletic trainer at Portland State University.
“As a foreign student, we have to have a work visa and there’s a lot of obstacles,” she said.
Iso says while gender ratios for students in athletic training programs are about even, the professional world is much different.
“I always wanted to work in division one college. I never thought of working in professional setting,” she said.
But after two summers interning with the Pittsburg Steelers, she was hired by the organization.
“She wasn’t hired because she was a female. We thought that she was the best athletic trainer that was available to fill the vacancy that we had,” said John Norwig, head athletic trainer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Iso spent nine years as an athletic trainer for the Steelers, which included three Super Bowls. Norwig recalls Iso’s fearlessness and professionalism as an athletic trainer.
“You know, you would think that a female would be intimidated in this environment where these are the macho of the machos guys. I mean, there’s only one percent of the people that play football or less that actually get to this level,” Norwig said.
As a trailblazer for aspiring women athletic trainers, Iso says she feels the pressure.
“If I do make mistakes, or if I don’t do right then I would possibly close the door for other female athletic trainer who’s working for this as a goal,” she said.
Her goal is to be the link to medical help for athletes, coaches, and parents.
“When they get back to the field and do perform better, of course that’s all of the reason that we work for. But now being in this profession long enough I do see a little bit bigger picture of athletes’ well-being and the people surrounding them,” she said.
Senior football player Lavonte Barnett has been at Oregon State as long as Iso has. He says she’s stern and has helped him through his injuries.
“She’s helped me get to the point where I am today and you know, taught me a lot of responsibility, you know, and I really appreciate it,” he said.
Iso wants the athletes to think of her as someone who can truly help them.
“I feel like we connect everybody to really help these athletes, you know, how they can be successful here as a student athlete and beyond?” she said.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://kmtr.com/news/local/ariko-iso-a-trailblazer-for-aspiring-female-athletic-trainers