If an athlete gets injured, their main priority is to recover and get back into playing their sport as soon as possible. This is also the trainer’s goal. “I like being able to teach people how to take care of their bodies,” says Skyline athletic trainer, Eric Kilpatrick. “Even the high level people who maybe don’t take care of their bodies and obviously have injuries. Helping people get back to a healthy playing level and then seeing them get to go back to their sports is rewarding and a really good feeling.”
Here at Skyline there are two main athletic trainers: Eric Kilpatrick and Shelby Groat. They come into Skyline each and every day to help athletes recover from and prevent injuries.
Kilpatrick has been at Skyline since 2017. After attending Adrian College, he initially wanted to go into physical therapy, but realized that being in a clinic all day was not for him. After that, he found the athletic training program.
Kilpatrick started his career at Hillsdale College. He wanted a change of pace, so he found a job posting through Med Sport, which is a part of Michigan Medicine, and that is when he was placed here at Skyline by Med Sport. Michigan Medicine is part of the hospital here at the University of Michigan. “I like the high school setting,” says Kilpatrick.
Shelby Groat has been a trainer at Skyline for just under two years and, like Kilpatrick, she found this job through Michigan Medicine and wanted to do more outreach in the community. “I could work at a school in a fairly busy city and it would be nice to reach out and branch out in the community,” says Groat. “Make that connection between the university and the hospital with different people that aren’t affiliated with it.”
There are many requirements to be an athletic trainer. “You have to be certified and licensed in the state that you are in,” says Groat. “The masters program is getting you towards passing the board exam for certification and the licensing is pretty much just like making sure you are registered with the state.”
Both Groat and Kilpatrick see themselves staying at Skyline for a while. “I feel all of the administration and the coaches are very willing to hear what we have to say,” says Groat. “[They’re] very approachable and they trust us and what we are doing, which is great. You don’t always get that at different locations.”
Not only do the trainers like being here but Skyline students love having them here. Some students go in regularly. “I love the trainers,” says Molly Jenkins (‘27). “I can go to them whenever I feel unwell mentally or physically. They really help me keep my sports performance at its best.”
Over the years, students have shown interest in being student trainers. “If people are interested they can definitely just drop by the trainer room anytime after school,” says Groat. “Just have a chat with us about things like…what we do, and how to get started.”
