Woodford trainer helps heal body and mind

Reprint from Nov. 27, 2008 Woodford Sun

3:30 p.m.

Just minutes earlier, the halls of Woodford County High School teemed with students. Now the deserted corridors stand silent, waiting patiently for a new day.

But in a small room tucked discreetly in the corner of the gymnasium, the day has just begun.

Teenagers cram the tiny space. It feels more like a hospital ER than a school. Cool fluorescent lights. Racks and drawers crammed with equipment. Bodies parked in every corner.

A football player with a fresh pink scar just below his knee rides an exercise bike. Another football player lies on an exam table, head propped in hand, a bag of ice wrapped around his lower leg. A soccer player sits quietly as yards of tape wind around her ankle. Other students just wait patiently, talking quietly amongst themselves.

They wish they didn’t have to be there.

But they are glad they have a place to be.

Walker Terhune administers the chaos. He moves from student to student. Poking and prodding. Cajoling and advising. Icing and taping.

Terhune serves as the Yellow Jackets’ athletic trainer, and while his primary job involves putting broken Woodford athletes back together again, a lot of hats hang on his rack – doctor, counselor, teacher, fan, enemy and even surrogate parent.

“You kind of know it going in,” he said of his multiple roles. “But the parenting part you don’t realize. Even at the college level, you kind of have to hold their hands. At the high school level, you have to understand that they are still growing up.”

Terhune came to Woodford County High three years ago. Before that, he served five years as the head athletic trainer at Kentucky State University.

“I just got burned out on college.”

The move to was something of a homecoming. Terhune has Woodford roots. He spent his early years in Versailles before moving to Tallahassee, Fla., as a young teenager and attended Woodford County High as a freshman.

“It’s comfortable when you see people you went to school with working here now. Even though it’s been remodeled, I can still walk down the halls and remember basically where my locker was.”

Terhune considers himself fortunate. He works at a job he loves. He credits a career counselor at the University of Kentucky for his entry into the field.

“They asked me my hobbies and they were almost all sports related.”

Terhune settled on athletic training. He finished up his undergraduate work at UK, earning a degree in exercise science, and went on the Eastern Kentucky University to complete a graduate program in athletic training.

****

Normally, Terhune exudes an approachable, laid-back persona.

But not now.

His face takes on an intense countenance, as he stands close to a student in the middle of the room. Terhune speaks in low tones, clearly frustrated and speaking with authority. The student nods meekly and begins his stretching exercises.

Terhune was trained to diagnose and treat injures, but his greatest challenges lie in getting into the heads of his teenage patients, who don’t always want to do what they need to do to get better.

“I don’t like confrontation, but there are some athletes that you just have to say, ‘Listen, you’re not going to get better until you do what you’re told.’ Sometimes they think I’m being mean, but it’s not being mean just to be mean.

“You have to remember that they are still teens. It’s a matter of trying to get through that brick wall.”

But in his greatest challenge, Terhune finds the greatest reward.

“I like doing my job. I like dealing with injuries. But I really love those teachable moments. I didn’t really understand that until working at the high school.”

His relationships with the students also give Terhune the opportunity to have an influence in their lives that extends far beyond the training room.

“I really get to know the kids,” he said. “I’m an adult, but I’m not a teacher, so the kids come to me. It’s a trust issue as well. It’s cool to be able to help them to figure out what’s going on.”

*******

Rain soaks the stadium. Cold wind slashes through wet clothing. Out on the field – a vicious hit. A Yellow Jacket player lies crumpled on the soggy turf, clutching his knee in agony. Within moments, Terhune kneels at his side. He quickly assesses the situation and helps the player off the field.

Terhune will palpitate and ask questions. Evaluate and make decisions. He will either tape the player up and get him back on the field, or tell the coach the bad news.

“He’s out.”

The job isn’t easy. Terhune must always walk a fine line between the needs of the team and the safety of the athlete. Sometimes he has to save athletes from themselves.

They almost always want to play on.

Terhune said the coaches at Woodford make his job easier, deferring to his expertise and trusting his judgment. They don’t push him to let players play hurt.

“I don’t look at it like he is trying to keep kids from playing,” football coach Chris Tracy said. “He’s doing what’s best for the kids. If a kid’s hurt, he’s hurt.”

“We have a good relationship,” Terhune said. “He knows I’m trying to get the kids back as fast as I can, but the kids best interest comes first.”

Tracy called Terhune indispensable.

“He’s dedicated and very protective.”

Woodford County High School athletes are fortunate to have an athletic trainer at their disposal. Unlike some states, Kentucky law does not require high schools to employ a full time athletic trainer, and many smaller schools do not.

“It’s strictly a cost issue,” Terhune said.

The Yellow Jacket trainer does not work for the school system. Bluegrass Community Hospital employs Terhune and contracts his services to the school. He works full time at Woodford County High and involves himself in every athletic program the school offers.

Woodford County High School Athletic Director Bob Gibson said the athletic training program is crucial.

“I feel like our overall safety procedures have improved significantly since the training program was brought to the school,” he said. “We are better able to quickly evaluate injuries and quickly get their needs met.”

Students maintain a love-hate relationship with their trainer. They would rather not see him, but when they need him, they say they are glad he is there.

“Usually I’m hurt when I have to see him,” soccer player Katrina Ott said. “It’s not a pleasant situation.”

Ott gets frustrated with Terhune’s restrictions and often bristles at his advice, but deep down, she said that she understands that he cares about her best interests.

“He just doesn’t want me to get hurt worse. He wants me to be able to play beyond the right here and right now.”

Football player Kristian Larsen takes a more pragmatic view.

“We don’t have to go to the hospital and it’s free.”

But even Larsen’s utilitarian comment underlies a deeper appreciation for Terhune’s work.

“When you’re out on the field hurt, he helps you right away,” he said.

*******

Sprains, strains, breaks and tears. Terhune sees it all.

“Dislocations are the ugliest.”

But the most frequent injuries are also the most easily prevented.

“Overuse is the most common injury,” Terhune said. “But if you come in in shape, it’s preventable.”

With that in mind, Terhune said he would love to see a full time strength coach at Woodford County High.

“Every one of our sports would be better with it.”

But as with many things, cost becomes an issue. Gibson said they simply can’t afford to pay someone full time as a strength coach.

”Where do you find a certified person to work three or four hours five days as week in the middle of the work day?”

But Gibson said they are looking for a way to bring a strength training coach to Woodford. The ideal solution is to find a teacher who is also certified strength coach. That would allow the individual to work full time for the school system and receive a stipend for the additional responsibilities involved in strength training.

******

By 4:30, the training room has nearly emptied. The low whir of the exercise bike breaks the silence as an athlete tries to strengthen battered muscles. The sounds of basketball practice occasionally intrude on the relative tranquility.

Like a vulture, Terhune waits.

“I don’t feel so much like a buzzard, but a black widow. I’ll joke with the coaches and ask them, ‘How much bad news do you want to hear today?’”

Terhune admits that from a professional level, he likes to see the interesting injuries, but on another level, he realizes that when he is working, someone is suffering.

“If I’m bored, it’s a good day.”