Athletic trainers play so many critical roles in the care of athletes. Due to a lack of awareness, a lack of funding or other reasons, not nearly enough schools have athletic trainer coverage for their sports teams.

In this video, I interview Mike Hopper, an athletic trainer in Waterloo, Illinois near St. Louis. Through his blog and social media, Mike has been passionate about spreading the message about athletic training, even coining the hashtag #AT4ALL. I was excited to discuss the hours he puts in as an athletic trainer at a local high school after his duties at a physical therapy clinic. We also talked about why athletic trainers are important for school teams, why so many schools don’t have coverage, and more.

_BOW76081:01 – Who is Mike Hopper and how did he get into athletic training?
3:01 – Do a lot of schools in Mike’s area employ athletic trainers?
3:42 – What does Mike’s schedule look like?
5:30 – In the sports Mike covers, is he the only medical provider there?
7:31 – Mike explains his blog and Twitter activity.
9:14 – Mike talks about why it’s so important for schools to invest in an athletic trainer.
10:54 – Mike discusses the difficulty in getting athletic trainers for every school.
15:38 – Mike explains the role of an athletic trainer in the recovery of an athlete.
16:36 – Mike talks about emergency situations he’s experienced.

If you would like to reach out to Mike or read his content, make sure to check out his blog, follow him on Twitter, and join the #ATtalk tweetchats that he hosts with Kristi Messina.

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