Dear Athletic Trainer,

I want to take a moment to show my appreciation for all you have done for me in my athletic career. It may sound corny, but I really would not be where I am today without you. Through all the victories and the injuries, you were there at the end of every practice, game or meet. That is something I will never take for granted.

Thank you for not only being my athletic trainer but also someone I can always talk to. Whether before practice, after practice or during the school day, I know that I can always walk into your office and feel better when I leave. Thank you for letting us athletes vent to you when we are frustrated with our sport or when we just need to let some anger out. Thank you for keeping your office a safe space to always go to before practice to do homework and just let everything go after a long day of classes. Thank you for being someone who we can all go to for advice when we need it most.

Thank you for always having our backs. You always knew how to tell Coach that it was time to give us the break our injured bodies needed to recover. Thank you for the endless taping sessions in your office before practices and games, and for the equally endless heat packs, cold packs, Biofreeze, you name it. I don't know how I would have survived without your expertise in keeping me healthy even during the most excruciating practices. Thank you for knowing my limits better than I know them myself. Thank you for always having my best interests at heart.

Thank you for introducing me to what I want to do with the rest of my life. Because of you, I have discovered my life's dream of working with athletes like myself to help them perform to their best potential. Thank you for always teaching me exactlywhat every injury I acquired was (which was quite a feat because I had too many to count). Thank you for educating me in the sports world.

Finally, thank you for being my rock. In the crazy world of being a varsity athlete, you are always the person I can go to in order to be brought back to reality. Thank you for listening to my rants about the college process, friendships and boyfriends, and life in general. Thank you for helping me to reason through my injuries and helping me realize that not being able to compete in that one race is not the end of the world. Thank you for bringing me back to reality when everything about balancing my sport, injuries and life gets out of hand.

To all athletic trainers out there, thank you for all you do for us athletes. Your help does not go unappreciated. Without you, we would not be the athletes we are today.