Sara Carver

During eighth-period athletics at Highland Park High, there is a group of students doing everything they can to make practice and competition run smoothly.

They aren't athletes though.

Each day the student trainers tape injuries, instruct physical therapy, fill water jugs and administer first aid to assist the various athletic teams. Head trainer Doug Gibbons said the students commit to a full year, working before, during and after practice and competition.

"The trainers spend a lot of hours out here behind the scenes. They don't get a lot of recognition," head trainer Doug Gibbons said.

Junior and senior trainers Ed Tribble, Tyler Hayslett, Alex Knott, Chris Wilson and Lindsay Harlan, who have been student trainers since their freshman year, agree that they simply enjoy being recognized as someone who others can depend on.

"I like them [athletes] to know they can count on me," Tribble said.

Like many of the studnet trainers, Tribble first became involved when the three licensed trainers, Gibbons, Cynthia Griffing and Jay Harris, promoted their program at his middle school. Every May, Gibbons and his staff explain the importance of sports medicine to the physical education classes to spark an interest in student training.

Gibbons explained the trainers receive school credits in athletics once they commit to the program, and are expected to make good grades. They have the same UIL eligibility requirements as the athletes. He believes it takes a responsible and reliable student for the job.

"They receive on-the-job training, so they have to pay attention at all times," Gibbons said. "They have to have a good attitude, be dependable and know what to do."

For some, like junior Lindsay Harlan, training was originally a means for meeting other students.

"I came from the Lake Highlands area and wanted to get to know people. I met athletes from all the different sports," Harlan said. "The group [of trainers] has become a family."

Harlan said she has learned to be dependable and responsible, but also to be appreciated. She is convinced that the athletes don't take the student trainers for granted. Her belief was confirmed at the season-ending football game this year.

"The players came out of the locker room one by one, gave each of us [trainers] a hug and thanked us," Harlan said. "All the sports teams are extremely appreciative."

There are a total of 12 student trainers every year, who are dedicated to the athletes. Not all of them wish to become doctors or physical therapists, although Gibbons said three of his former students have pursued that field. The skills they have learned and people they've met will help with these students' futures.

Tribble has learned to take basketball statistics during games while serving as the team's trainer. He hopes to work in the basketball office at the University of Missouri Columbia while he earns a degree in journalism.