From vigorous sprints on the track to powerful strokes in the water, Lynbrook athletes push themselves to excel in their respective sports. To support their endeavors, trainer Scott Leveau works behind the scenes during games to ensure athletes can properly recover from injuries. However, he isn’t alone in his work: juniors Ayah Abood and Ilan Garcia work as interns under Leveau, assisting him intending to athlete health and gaining insight into athletic training.
Athletic training aims to improve an athlete’s physical condition and function. It encompasses the prevention of injuries, the treatment and rehabilitation of an athlete and methods to deal with chronic and medical injuries while playing sports.
For Abood and Garcia, interning in athletic training serves as a way to gain hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the profession; they can also apply their knowledge from studies to real scenarios. Learning how to respond to the various injuries of each sport lets them aid a patient’s recovery process properly.
“I’m able to apply the skills learned from athletic training to real life,” Abood said. “I can tape my dad’s ankles or help wrap cooking burns.”
The opportunity to intern with Leveau is limited to a select group of students; interns have often established connections with him and have an ardent interest in sports medicine. Both Garcia and Abood were spurred by the prospect of receiving firsthand experience in the health-related field and creating a tangible impact.
“I’ve always loved watching sports and helping people,” Abood said. “Interning allows me to do something meaningful for my community.”
During the matches, after setting up their medical table to prepare for potential injuries, Garcia and Abood keenly monitor for accidents and constantly check in on athletes’ well-being. In the case of an injury, they assist Leveau by writing reports, fetching equipment and taking vitals.
To further their knowledge, the interns also learn outside of games. After school, Leveau frequently lectures on anatomy, physiology and techniques to deal with sports injuries such as tending to a wound.
The first home football game of the season was a notable opportunity to implement and practice the materials learned. Working closely alongside Leveau, they managed busy situations while applying their hands-on skills under pressure. The experience was a real-world application of everything they had observed and learned from Levau.
“I was extremely nervous because I had never had any prior experience,” Abood said. “I learned to push over the anxiety and actively participate. As I learned and became more familiar with the process, it wasn’t as nerve-wracking.”
Throughout this internship, the students have also learned to adapt to struggles and learn from mistakes. Having an open mind and being coachable is one of the most important aspects of this internship.
“You need to know how to learn from your mistakes,” Garcia said. “This program has greatly improved my ability to learn from my past actions.”
From the internship, Abood and Garcia can apply the practical skills taught to daily life and for the future. Furthermore, the internship has allowed them to forge connections with diverse peers and enhance their interpersonal skills.
“It’s one of the biggest opportunities I’ve been given,” Garcia said. “We get to connect with injured athletes by providing peer-to-peer emotional support, which is different from that of a teacher or coach to a student. There’s a rewarding feeling from being able to help my peers.”
