DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: Thank you to the trainers

It was nearly a worst-case scenario at the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s basketball finals this Thursday night.

I can only imagine celebrations from the winning team were cut short, and a hush came over the crowd, as a Providence player collapsed on the court following the conclusion of the game. While she is now recovering in hospital, it took a combined effort to revive her while waiting for the ambulance.

At many events I end up striking casual conversations with team trainers, and while they’re often torn away from that conversation to help tape up an athlete’s joint or help stretch out a cramp, what happened at the CMU gym is a reminder of why they are really there.

Sports have come a long way in becoming safer over the decades, as equipment and rule changes keep pace with bigger and stronger athletes who push the limits of human capabilities. Luckily, they’ve become so safe, events like the one in Winnipeg Feb. 26 are a rarity, but they do sometimes happen.

Injuries are a fact and a part of sports. I’m not only grateful for the trainers who work to help out athletes in times of calm and emergency, but I’m also thankful to the players.

You certainly derive your own internal motivation and reward for playing sports at a high level, but as fans of local sports, it’s important to recognize these players put their bodies on the line to deliver entertainment to us, to represent our local towns, without the massive financial rewards high-profile professional athletes have.

As a reporter, it’s a reminder I need to be ready for anything, beyond just a win or a loss.

So to all the trainers, and to anyone who’s come out of the stands to help out in an emergency, I say thank you. You help this sports fan go to the rink, field or courts with a clear head.