Article reposted from Three Rivers Commercial News
Author: Scott Hassinger
With the 2016 fall sports season officially underway at Three Rivers, athletes and their coaches will see a new face along the sidelines.
Erik Byl, a Jenison native, is working for Three Rivers as an athletic trainer.
Three Rivers is in a partnership with Bronson Hospital and Western Michigan University that offers a graduate assistant athletic trainer spot to its student-athletes.
There are currently 10 other schools in the Kalamazoo area, including Paw Paw and Vicksburg, who are also partnering with Bronson and WMU for the same program.
Byl, a graduate of Hope College, is currently pursuing a master of science degree in athletic training at WMU.
“I will be working with every athletic team here at Three Rivers the next years while I work on my masters degree,” Byl said.
While in high school at Jenison, Byl played football, basketball and track and field and was a member of the school powerlifting team.
During the summer of 2015, Byl interned with the Green Bay Packers Athletic Training Staff.
“I was an athlete all the way through high school and college and I always appreciated everything the athletic training staff did to help get me back on the field. I made up my mind that I wanted to be part of that team,” Byl said.
“I haven’t been around this area very much, but what I’ve seen so far I have really enjoyed. All of the coaching staff that I’ve met so far have been really outgoing and are making me feel welcome.”
Byl is excited about the hands-on training he’ll acquire.
“I just want to establish my confidence in the field and give me a chance to be doing athletic trainer’s duties on my own,” he said.
Byl will cover every home athletic event as well as traveling on the road with the football teams.
Scott Hassinger can be reached at 279-7488 ext. 25 or sports@threeriversnews.com.