Athletics are a big part of what makes Wakefield great. Close competitions, loud crowds, and memories to last years. However, all this would not be possible without the hard work and intense dedication of Wakefield’s Sports Medicine team.

Lead by the Head Athletic Trainer Brent Dorenkamp, the team focuses mainly on keeping athletes in the best possible condition and maintaining their health both on and off the field.

“The team’s purpose when it comes to the people belonging to it is to give students that are interested in the sports medicine field somewhat of a base when it comes to the knowledge and the kinds of things that they would see,” says Coach Dorenkamp who organizes the club. “It’s really good for kinesthetic learners who learn best with hands-on experience.”

People join for various reasons, either wanting to learn more about medical field, having strong interests in physical training, or just wanting to be a part of a club.

“I transferred back to Wakefield before school started my freshman year and I was walking down to get my schedules when I saw a poster advertising the sports med team,” said sports med trainer Kellie Gamble. “I thought it sounded like a good opportunity so I signed up after convincing one of my friends to join and I’ve been a member ever since”

The student trainers choose what teams they want to work with and help in various aspects. Before practice they set up the fields by filling up water coolers and bringing down any equipment that the team may need. Then, any athletes that need to get an ankle or shoulder taped are taken care of. Once practice starts the trainers stay with their team and wait for injuries to occur. If an athlete scrapes his knee or sprains an ankle the sports med trainers are there to apply any and all kinds of first aid. If an injury is serious enough, the trainers might contact Coach Dorenkamp and set up therapy sessions for an athlete trainer either before or after school.

“Now in the sports medicine program we have two different levels of student trainers. We separate the cream of the crop by recognizing them with a different colored jersey. These trainers are referred to as “gray shirt trainers” but their official name is the Charge Team” Dorenkamp said. “Usually these are the students who have shown the most initiative, have a strong dedication to the program, and get along well with all the various players, coaches and fellow trainers.”

Wakefield is unique in that it is the only one in the state of North Carolina that has the National Honors Society of Sports Medicine. One does not need to be a part of the sports med team in order to be inducted. A student interested in pursuing this route will have to take at least three sports medicine classes, taught all by Dorenkamp, and be either a Junior or a Senior.

Anyone can apply to be a sports medicine trainer, but there are some things that both Dorenkamp and the “Gray Shirts” look for when reviewing applicants.

“We really look for people that are responsible and hardworking.” said head trainer Jayme Boyles. “We’ve had a lot of great trainers come through over the years and as long as you are willing to put in the work you can learn a lot and get a lot out of it.”