As a female athletic trainer, it feels like it is so tough to consider myself as an equal to male athletic trainers. Males dominate this profession and are usually the ones to get hired for jobs, get paid more, and seem to get the respect of their peers and athletes more. However, this is not the case for Julie Max, the director of sports medicine (and head ATC) at Cal State Fullerton. She has been there for 35 years and has broken so many barriers. While an athletic training student at Fullerton University, she was the first female student to be able to work with the football team. In 2000, she was elected as the first female president of the NATA and served 2 terms. She is also in the NATA Hall of Fame. She is the most positive person in the ATR so when athletes are having a bad day, they feel comfortable talking to her. She also remains positive so that her staff can feel that same positive energy when they are feeling fatigued after a long week. That positive energy resonates throughout the whole ATR. She states that she is there to save lives, and I think that's exactly how it should be. Athletic trainers are not just people who tape ankles day in and day out. We are there to be the first responder to all injuries, mild or catastrophic. We have the abilities to save lives and careers of athletes. Athletic trainers are also there to be a support system, have that positive energy that Max has, to gain the trust of the athletes. There have been so many times I was not only an athletic trainer to my athletes, I was a confidant, someone they could come talk to if they were having a bad day on or off the field. In this article, Max touches on that as well. I think we wear many hats in this field, and it's only a matter of time until more barriers are broken from female athletic trainers!
Below is a link to Julie Max's story. She is an incredible athletic trainer!
http://www.fwatad8.org/athletic-trainer-julie-max-a-titan-through-and-through/
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