Mr. Patrick Friel, the new athletic trainer at St. George’s, is hitting the ground running by doing what he can to help. Mr. Friel came to St. George’s this year from Satsuma High School in Mobile, Ala. At Satsuma, he worked alone with little to no help for two years.

Mrs. Tina Cole, an athletic trainer that has been at St. George’s for a little over two years, has been working without a partner for a little over a month ever since Mr. Charles Ralph left for Rhodes College to be a basketball trainer. Mrs. Cole was excited to finally have another trainer to help her out.

“He’s been a tremendous help,” Mrs. Cole said. Mrs. Cole is hoping that Mr. Friel will stay longer than the other three trainers that she has worked with over the past two years. Mrs. Cole has had to work with all fall sports without any help.

“It cuts the time in half, having two people taking [water] to the fields,” Mrs. Cole said. Mr. Friel is happy to help at St. George’s.

“I enjoy it here,” Mr. Friel said. “This is really my only second full time job after graduate school.”

Although some students only see Mr. Friel once a week for minor injuries sophomore Wesley Goodwin sees Mr. Friel often, since Goodwin has his ankles taped for football. Goodwin is also happy to have another trainer on campus.

“It’s a great improvement,” Goodwin said.

One of the most important parts of Mr. Friel’s job is being involved in the school community. The coaches, families and athletes make or break a school for Mr. Friel. He’s noticed that St. George’s is a tight knit community.

“It feels similar to where I was before, a lot of community support throughout the school with parents and other athletes,” Mr. Friel said.

Mr. Friel is planning on working at St. George’s for a long time.

“I think it’s a good situation, for sure,” Mr. Friel said.