Article reposted from Victoria Advocate
Author: Gabriella Canales
The St. Joseph High School football team will be wrapped and ready to go this season with the help of its sideline support.
Junior Kelsey Berryhill, 16, of Victoria, is one of four student trainers for the Flyer football team.
This is her first year to be a student trainer after being convinced by a friend to join.
“I make sure all the players are aided, none are injured or have open wounds and players are properly hydrated,” Kelsey said.
Her duties also extend to the field.
“Whenever they are injured on the field, I make sure they are aided and cared for, whether that be ice or wraps,” she said.
The football team has about 49 members this season.
“I’ve helped almost all of them,” she said. “Most of them get injured during practice, where it’s mostly scrapes and bruises, but sometimes it’s more than that, like a dislocated shoulder.”
Though she is a huge ice hockey fan, Kelsey’s role on the team is right up her alley, she said.
“I am really caregiving and mother-like,” she said. “I am always out there to help and aid people.”
Kelsey said she learned her craft from her father’s friend who works for a high school. She also learned from her friend who is an athletic trainer.
“The foot and ankle wraps are pretty fun,” she said.
What Kelsey enjoys the most is being able to be part of the team.
“It feels like a family,” she said.
Kelsey is deciding whether to pursue athletic training or psychology.