Article reposted from theIntelligencer Edwardsville
Author: theIntelligencer Edwardsville
Drew Dintelmann is leaving his post as athletic trainer at Edwardsville High School, but a familiar face will be taking over the full-time role.
Katie Hamilton, who has been helping at EHS over the last six years through Apex Physical Therapy, is the new athletic trainer. She replaces Dintelmann, who had been a full-time district employee since the 2008-09 school year and was working with Edwardsville the last 15 years.
“I’m really excited to be taking over at Edwardsville. It’s going to be the same stuff but in a different position,” Hamilton said. “The transition will go pretty smooth because the relationships with the kids and coaches has already been built. It will just be moving to a different position and not have Drew available.”
Dintelmann had been a fixture at EHS.
A 2001 graduate of Western Illinois, he took an internship at Alton Memorial Hospital following graduation. It was through the hospital that he was connected to Edwardsville.
Now, 15 years later, Dintelmann will explore other career options.
“I’m looking to get back into my first passion which is strength and conditioning,” Dintelmann said. “I feel like I’m not really leaving, but stepping into new roles where I can still work with Katie and the kids.”
Dintelmann’s last day on the job is Friday.
With all fall sports, excluding field hockey, getting under way over the next week, the change in athletic trainers couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Starting off, it’s going to take a little bit of time for everybody to get used to just one person being around. The familiarity of everything and getting this started before school will really help,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton is a 2010 graduate of Western Illinois.
A former softball and basketball player in college, injuries derailed her playing career. But, she turned a negative into a positive by finding a career path in athletic training.
Hamilton started working at Apex Physical Therapy in Edwardsville after college. It was there that she was loaned out to EHS.
“It was a great experience,” Hamilton said. “Coming out of college, I always thought I wanted to work in a college setting. Once I got to this high school, I realized how big everything was and how serious athletics were being taken. It was like coming into a small college.”
Dintelmann said the addition of Hamilton was needed for EHS.
“We saw a need for a second person and sought out a couple physical therapy clinics. Things fit with what we were looking for and hopefully we started a trend in not just southern Illinois but also the state,” Dintelmann said.
Edwardsville High School has 24 IHSA-affiliated sports, along with field hockey and ice hockey. Including the freshman and junior varsity teams, there are over 60 teams at the high school.
With approximately 800 athletes, it wasn’t uncommon for either Dintelmann or Hamilton to be spread thin.
Hamilton will now be on her own. She’s ready for the challenge.
“It’s not bad dealing with high school kids here, because most of them want to be here and want to be playing their sport,” Hamilton said.
An old Spanish classroom in the northeast corner of the school is the athletic training room. It comes with a couple athletic tables and treadmill, among other necessary items. It is easily accessible to students during school when they have free time.
EHS also has another facility across the street inside the District 7 Sports Complex.
While she may be the only athletic trainer moving forward at Edwardsville, Hamilton won’t feel alone. The coaches at EHS are very aware of the importance of trainers.
Hamilton said having a good relationship with the coaches — in all sports — is very important.
“The coaches are really good about staying on top of the kids and making sure they are getting done what needs to be done. As long as we keep lines of open communication, there aren’t many issues,” Hamilton said.
It’s those relationship with the coaches, along with the student-athletes, that Dintelmann will miss most.
“I just hope that I was able to make the same impact on the kids that made an impact on me,” Dintelmann said. “I had the pleasure of working with some great coaches. We don’t see a high turnover in coaches at Edwardsville for a reason. They bring some character development into the program.
“It was a pleasure and honor to work with some of the coaches. The relationships built were fantastic.”