Rachel Conrad, Garfield High School’s resident superhero, is the best athletic trainer a school could ask for. Ms. Rachel, or just Rachel, for regular visitors, spends her workdays seeing students, wrapping ankles, and advising the athletes who are invaluable to our community. Ms. Rachel is at Garfield as a part of a district-wide collaboration between Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Children’s Hospital to help make sure student athletes have access to on-hand medical evaluation and advice. She is one of about thirty other athletic trainers in the area.
Ms. Rachel’s day at GHS starts around 1:00 or 2:00 P.M., when she arrives on campus. After getting set up, she tries to split her time evenly between the variety of after school sports practices and games, and with students dying (or at least aching) for her sought-after attention.
Students describe Ms. Rachel as a regular Hermione Granger, equipped with her very own time turner. Junior soccer player Zoe Ozretich has her ankle wrapped by Ms. Rachel every day. “To put it simply, I’d say she is amazing, which is a bit unoriginal, but she is all over the place, she goes to all the sports, she does all the things with no help, which is kind of insane,” Ozertich said.
Ms. Rachel does her best to show up for every Bulldawg match, Bullfrog meet, Lady Bulldawg game, and Volleydawg bout whenever she can. However, one person is only one person, and she often finds herself spread too thin. “The hardest part of my job is probably not being able to help more people,“ Ms. Rachel said.
In such times, she is forced to prioritize. Sports are ranked from most to least contact, and Ms. Rachel divvies up her time accordingly. In the Fall, soccer and football take priority, basketball in Winter, and the year ends with wrestling being her first concern in Spring.
The role of athletic trainer is not for everyone, and Rachel got into it through her own teen sports experience. “I was injured as an athlete and spent a lot of time with my athletic trainer. I thought it was such a cool job of being involved in athletics daily, but also being able to provide athletes medical help and injury support,” Ms. Rachel said. 2023 marks Ms. Rachel’s third year at Garfield, with her first year falling during the first year back from Covid-19.
Ms. Rachel is at Garfield High School full-time and enjoys the sports community integrated into the school’s culture. “I love being there to support all the kids on the sideline, whether it is cheering them on or if they need any medical attention. I am happy to provide that safe space for kids with almost any need.” Ms. Rachel said. She can be found on the bottom floor of the QJ with tape in hand and a smile on her face.
