At Pima’s West Campus, within the fitness center, reside three employees who are in charge of the health and safety of all 400 current Pima athletes.
These medical professionals see between 50 and 100 students daily and must attend to their needs on and off the field. Their names are April Jessee, Akira Kondo and Chris Murphy.
These unsung heroes go by the title of athletic trainer, and are medical professionals trained to take care of those involved in any sporting event Pima attends.
Football player Alex Rios said he visits the trainers before every game. The athletic taping on his wrists and ankles ensures he stays safe during games.
When visiting the fitness center, several athletes like Rios can almost always be seen working with one of the three trainers.
From stretching exercises to rehabilitating after major surgeries, the fitness center provides a safe haven for trainer and athletes to work together.
“The challenges unique to our job are that every day is different and we have to be prepared for the worst,” Jessee
said. “We are the first line in emergency situations with our athletes and also the last person they see before returning to play.”
All three of Pima’s athletic trainers boast years of experience.
In addition to having a master’s degree in athletic training, Jessee holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and has worked at many colleges.
Murphy was an intern for the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Kondo is a certified CPR rescuer and a member of both American and Japanese athletic trainer organizations.
Jessee is currently in her sixth year as an athletic trainer for Pima.
Murphy worked for the school from 2005-2006, and is now in his first year back.
This is Kondo’s first year working with the school full time, though he worked part time from 2003-2005.
There are also eight interns who work alongside Pima’s certified trainers.
One of the interns, Danielle Galvez, has put in more than 900 hours at the West Campus’ fitness center just during this school year.
At any given moment, several athletes can be found in the fitness center waiting to be seen by the trainers. Student athlete Kelsey Montana said that she visits the trainers every day, twice a day.
“My personal choice to become an athletic trainer came from my love of medicine and sports,” Jessee said.
She explained that she was amazed by the work done by then-Phoenix Suns athletic trainer Joe Proski and wanted to help athletes like he did.
The athletic trainers at Pima are uniquely situated in a school that provides for their profession and respects the importance of their presence at every game.
Some high schools have only one athletic trainer for 400 athletes, or have their athletic trainers working on a teacher’s salary with only a small stipend designated for their athletic training work.
The National Athletic Trainer’s Association reported in 2009 that when an athlete goes down on the playing field, an athletic trainer is the first responder to prevent or treat an injury; yet only 42 percent of high schools have access to athletic trainers today.
Jessee pointed out that things have not improved since then. Many schools lack or have insufficient athletic trainers to care for the students.
Raymond Suarez, Pima’s athletics assistant program coordinator and sports information provider, said the athletic trainers are present at all major sporting events.
A student athletic trainer often accompanies them, so the student can learn the profession first-hand.
Jessee admitted this can make balancing personal life and work difficult, but the job is rewarding.
“Here at Pima Community College we are in a unique situation where we have the support and understanding of our
athletic director Edgar Soto and our coaches,” Jessee said.
“This is one of the places that I feel we are really taken care of in regards to our profession.”