Glendale Community College athletic trainers adjusting their focus during COVID-19
Eric Hayrapetian
El Vaquero Staff Writer
GLENDALE - One of the most crucial aspects of a long and successful season for a student-athlete is making sure that their body is healthy and injury-free throughout the entirety of the season. Athletic trainers play a significant role in making this possible by not only treating student-athletes who are dealing with new or existing injuries, but also helping prevent possible injuries from occurring in the future. They work with our student-athletes to assure that they are in the best possible shape before, during, and after their season. Our athletic trainers are extremely beneficial and play a part in the success of our teams and student-athletes.
However, with Covid-19 causing campuses and facilities to close, athletic trainers can’t interact with student-athletes face to face. The consequence of everything moving to a virtual environment means athletic trainers along with student-athletes and coaches have had to adapt and change to the new circumstances. Glendale Community College’s athletic trainers Jose Gomez and Claudia Orejuela have had a lot on their plate during these unprecedented times, but have done their part to make sure that student-athletes are continuing to receive proper assistance and attention. Gomez has been working at GCC for 30 years and Orejuela is a GCC alumna who was also a student-athlete.
Both athletic trainers were asked about how Covid-19 has affected their working environment, along with what challenges it has brought upon them. With their jobs being centered around student-athletes and making sure that their body is in excellent shape, not having them around caused a complete switch not only in how they perform their work but also in their workplace. Gomez and Orejuela collaborated on their responses and said that they have been “missing the enthusiasm and excitement of the student-athletes” and that there has been a sense of “solitude and emptiness” in the workplace. In addition to having the setting of their workplace altered, there have been obstacles that have affected how they go about their work.