On the busy courts and fields of high school sports, most athletic trainers are the unrecognized heroes who work behind the scenes at almost every sporting event. But not Kaneland High School’s athletic trainer, Maggie Walker. Walker’s dedication to her craft is unmatched.
“I think the perception of athletic training as a profession is you tape ankles and give people water and that’s it,” Walker said. “ But there is so much more than that.”
Walker’s words highlight the common misconception that some might have about athletic trainers. Athletic trainers are here to ensure the safety of athletes and help them maintain health in both their bodies and their mental states. Walker dedicates her time to helping her high school athletes get to the next level. For some that might be playing in college, and for others that might be just playing until the end of high school. Along with ensuring the overall physical health of her players, she also ensures they have a healthy mental state by listening to them talk about their struggles in sports or in life. She will try her best to give advice to each of her athletes to help them through their challenges.
Walker not only works with athletes but their coaches too. Walker communicates everything with the coaches at Kaneland and makes sure that they know what is going on with their athletes and the treatment that their players need. She also shares the same goals with the athletes as she does with the coaches. “She knows my goals and the kids’ goals, and she just kind of seamlessly fits in perfectly with what we’re trying to do with our boys in the track program,” Kaneland boys track coach Andy Drendel said. Walker is also someone who is easy to talk to. A lot of coaches at Kaneland are comfortable asking her any questions they might have or just talking to her about life. Drendel is someone that puts Walker above others because of her willingness to help everyone that comes to her, whether it is due to an injury or a problem in life.
Walker is always putting her coaches and athletes first. Drendel remembers one of his first interactions with her. While he was behind the school, he saw Walker on her cart with coolers of water and ice. Normally, the players and the coaches have to get their own water and ice and bring them out to practice, and Drendel’s athletes would drag while doing it. Before practice, he went up to Walker and thanked her for the coolers, and while Walker thought it wasn’t a big deal, Drendel really took it to heart.
Coaches and athletes also see Walker as part of their team. With her always on the sidelines and supporting each one of the school’s athletes, she is considered part of the team for most. “We share all of our wins with her and she roots for the boys, so we are all on the same page,” varsity football head coach Michael Thorgesen said. Walker is with the teams at Kaneland every step of the way. She goes to most sporting events even when they are farther away. Walker’s support is what keeps Kaneland’s teams healthy and positive.
But everything can’t always be positive. There are times that Walker’s job can take a turn. That turn is when she has to have a serious talk with some athletes. “The hardest [challenges] for me always are potentially knowing that an athlete has a serious injury that is either gonna take them out for a while or for a whole season,” Walker said. She knows what that could entail from a mental standpoint for her athletes, and she understands how long it could keep them off the field. Some think that an athletic trainer can fix almost anything, but there are times where they can really struggle. Even though Walker faces challenging situations, she never seems to crack under pressure. She is able to stay calm and help her athletes and coaches navigate through the tough situations.
Athletic training is something that is constantly changing. There are always going to be different techniques and technologies to help athletes. Walker finds that this element of her job is one of the most exciting. “It’s not the same every day, so I always find it interesting when there’s a new technique or new research out there for different treatments or courses of action,” Walker said.
Maggie Walker is someone that helps Kaneland athletics get to the places they are in. Whether that is winning conference or a Regional championship and sometimes State, Walker is always going to have a strong and positive impact on all athletes and coaches.
