Kara Pritchard was playing basketball during her freshman year of high school when she injured her ankle. She went through physical therapy to help it heal properly. After weeks of physical therapy, she realized she was interested in sports training and was inspired to go into the field so that she may be involved in the sports she loved throughout her life.

This is the story of the new athletic trainer at Revere High School. As a student at Mohawk high school, Pritchard was involved with volleyball as a front row hitter, basketball as the post and softball as a first baseman. It is her job to prevent, examine, diagnose and treat sports related injuries in the student athletes.

Summa hospitals appointed Pritchard to Revere after she previously worked at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (2000-2004), University of Missouri (2004-2009), Pinnacle Therapy at Oak Park High School in North Kansas City, Missouri (2001-2010), Atrium Medical Center at Mason High School in Mason, Ohio (2010-2012), and Ohio OhioHealth at Thomas Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio (2012-2013).

“Revere is the smallest school I have worked at; however, I have been welcomed into the Revere family by all that I have encountered,” Pritchard said.

She is getting to know the athletes and she feels they are beginning to trust her with their injuries. She also said that the Revere staff has shown her kindness and generosity.

Bill Schumacher said she is an expert in determination of injuries.

“She’s the first line of treating injuries. So if a student athlete sprained an ankle, she would be the first one to determine further treatment.” Schumacher said.

It’s not Pritchard’s job to perform treatments on injuries but to diagnose and monitor them. Schumacher said that she decides when kids get back to their sports.

Pritchard is a fan of preventing injuries before they happen. She prefers that athletes wear protective gear. Schumacher noted that Pritchard is very busy in the fall due to all the sports going on at the time.

“In the fall, she has all kinds of [work] going on between football, the two [soccer teams] and volleyball. We also have golf, cross country and tennis.” Schumacher said.

Mike Murphey, RHS football coach, explained that she is doing a “fantastic” job of treating the boys’ injuries and getting them back on the field.

“She takes care of all the bumps and bruises that come with the game,” Murphey said.

She drives around from practice to practice, checking up on the athletes in her golf cart they’ve nicknamed the “Karavan”. She arrives at the school at about 2:00 pm and works on paperwork. When sports practices begin however, that is when the crazy and hectic times start. If it is a game day then she might not even be done until 9:00 pm.

“I recheck injuries, evaluate new injuries and communicate with various coaching staffs,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard can be spotted at just about any high school sporting event that takes place at the high school, and one can usually find her in the field house preventing and monitoring injuries. In the case that an injury does occur, however, Pritchard is there to see that it heals properly.