The Women Who Keep Geneva Student-Athletes Running

Geneva student-athletes go through various challenges physically and mentally over their four years in college. They experience the highs of winning, the lows of losing, and they regularly feel the effects of dedicated training and competition on their bodies. The Geneva College athletic training staff, consisting of four women, work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure each student-athlete receives the best care possible, both during games and throughout the week, while competing as Golden Tornadoes. 

The days of an athletic trainer can be long, but Charity, Gabi, Madison, and Leah all express an appreciation for the community at Geneva and the ability to find a balance between work and home life. 

“We’ve all worked at a higher level, and so being able to still do what we do, have somewhat lighter travel days, but still being involved in the athlete’s everyday life while still going home to our families at night, that’s been a huge blessing about being at a place like Geneva,” says Charity Miller, head athletic trainer. “I really enjoy the relational type of discipleship you can have with the students. We pour into their lives, but they also pour into our lives.” 

Athletic trainers are one of the few medical positions which are involved from the beginning to the end of an athlete’s injury. The trainers are usually the first responders when an injury happens in a practice or a game, and they’re doing the initial evaluation most of the time. They help with doctor referrals, and then they help with return-to-play rehab, so they’re involved in almost every step on often a daily basis over weeks and months. 

“Seeing an athlete go from hurt to back on the field competing is one of the most rewarding things and one of the best things I get to see in this type of job,” says Charity. “When you are seeing these kids every day, they can become an extension of your family. We spend a lot of time with these athletes, and their seasons are often long, and we’re glad to walk alongside them during their college years.” 

“I really like being at Geneva and having a better work-life balance,” says Gabi Nichols, athletic trainer. “Coming from a big football program like Kansas State, I really didn’t have time for anything else. Every day is different here. It’s not a normal desk job where you often do similar things over and over. You never know who will walk into the training room each day. You get to walk through an athlete’s full progression from injury to recovery, and I’ve never been at a Christian school like Geneva before where I can not only encourage students, but also integrate my faith into conversations, especially when people are often feeling low if they’re battling an injury.” 

The trainers have challenges they have to work through each day. There are often not enough hours in the day to help everyone. They are in the training room most days in the morning and afternoon,  attending games in the afternoon or evening, and then making sure athletes are getting whatever post-game care is needed. 

“This job is not just a physical one, but it’s also a very mental and emotional one,” says Charity. “We’ve always tried to have an open-door policy in the training room. We want to be involved in these kids’ lives, and that means we’re often dealing with the emotional, which can be emotionally and physically draining for us sometimes.” 

It can be hard for trainers to see an athlete work hard to prepare for a season and then have to miss time after suffering an injury. They not only care for physical needs, but they also provide encouragement mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Trainers are caregivers and advocates for athletes with doctors, coaches, and with the athletes themselves. During that process over four years, they become friends as well. 

“We work with our long-term rehabs, kids that are post-operation that have suffered a significant injury that sidelines them for months, and sometimes we are literally their hype men,” says Madison Reger, athletic trainer. “Those days when the athletes are dealing with the monotony of rehab, and they don’t feel like they’re making any progress, we see the small victories in the rehab process and try to pour our excitement into them when they are at their lowest points.” 

Trainers don’t just deal with athletes who are battling injuries. They spend significant time giving preventative care before practices and games to try to avoid as many injuries as possible, including exercise programs, soft tissue treatment, and concussion and wellness education, among many things. Whether that results in ice baths, ankle wrappings, muscle stimulation or any method of preventative care, the trainers do their best to deliver whatever care athletes need. And that starts almost the minute student-athletes step on campus as freshmen and get their initial physical. 

Despite the challenges that the trainers face — time, resources, space, and the mental and emotional toll that the work can take — each of the trainers find the blessings of building relationships with the athletes and ministering to their needs to far outweigh any challenges. 

“The reason why I never left collegiate athletics is because I just love the atmosphere,” says Madison. “In reality, these college years are a huge growing period in these athletes’ lives. This is when you are often first learning to do everything on your own, and I like seeing that maturing process that these students are going through. When you see these people first arrive as essentially kids, and then four years later you see them leaving as adults, and you get invites to their weddings and other big events, it’s just really rewarding.” 

The next time you’re at a Geneva sporting event celebrating the Golden Tornado athletes, coaches, and staff who make these games possible, remember to look for these four women who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure every student gets the care, both physical and mental, to perform at the highest possible level. 

Meet the Athletic Trainers 

Charity Miller heads up the athletic training department and has been at Geneva since 2017 when she started as an intern in the athletic training office. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2015 and went on to earn an MS in Exercise Science from Liberty. Geneva was her first full-time job after completing her education, and she enjoyed the environment so much that she stayed and steadily moved up to be named the head athletic trainer three years ago. 

Charity originally grew up in California, and during her high school years she suffered a significant ankle injury while playing sports. Her interactions with the school’s trainer during that rehab process was what first sparked an interest in the field, and after wrapping up her athletic career in high school, she knew this was the field she wanted to pursue. 

“I shadowed my trainer in high school, and I fell in love with the combination of sports and medicine. I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, and I just loved the combination of working with athletes and helping them overcome injuries.”

Madison Reger also began her professional career at Geneva, starting in 2015 after graduating from Waynesburg. She worked for two years as an intern in the trainer’s office before leaving to pursue a master’s degree in healthcare administration at Mount Saint Mary’s. In addition to serving as a trainer at Mount Saint Mary’s, Madison also spent time working as an athletic trainer at both Yale and George Washington before returning to Geneva three years ago. 

Madison became interested in the field after dealing with knee injuries while playing softball as a catcher growing up. Her senior year of high school, she shadowed a chiropractor as a senior project, and he suggested she think about athletic training. 

“After shadowing the chiropractor, I decided to shadow our athletic trainer and ended up doing that for the whole basketball season my senior year of high school. I fell in love with the field because it brought medicine and physical therapy together in the sports realm.” 

Gabi Nichols is in her first year as an athletic trainer at Geneva. She grew up in Kansas and went to Kansas State University where she did her undergraduate and graduate work in athletic training, also serving as a trainer for the nationally ranked Kansas State football program. 

Gabi played soccer competitively growing up and suffered multiple concussions, forcing her to give the sport up, which was hard. Through the physical therapy she went through during her playing days, she became interested in physical therapy as a potential career path. She had friends, though, that were pursuing a path in athletic training, and through that exposure, she decided to turn her focus towards this field. 

“I enjoy actually being involved in the everyday life of an athlete, and not just seeing them once in a while on the field. Athletic training allows me to do that in a more meaningful way.” 

Gabi initially was hoping to find a job in the south, but through her family connections with Head Football Coach Geno DeMarco, she became aware of an opening at Geneva. She began praying about it and eventually felt led to apply here, where she was hired last fall. 

Leah Kirkland grew up in Beaver Falls, attending Blackhawk High School before getting her undergraduate degree in athletic training at Duquesne. She grew up playing sports and knew she wanted to pursue something in the sciences field, and athletic training was a good blend of sports and health. 

“My senior year of high school I became a Christian,” says Leah Kirkland, athletic trainer. “So entering into a field that was very service focused was really appealing to me at that point, and I really felt that was a great way to practice stewardship of God’s greatest creation, which is people.” 

After graduating from Duquesne, the Lord led Leah into campus ministry for six years, the first year at Slippery Rock and the last five years at Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. Last year she started her master’s degree in higher education at Geneva, and through her involvement in the graduate program, it became known that Leah possessed a background in athletic training at a time when Geneva was in need of help in the department. Judy Willson, director of graduate admissions, connected Leah with Geneva’s director of athletics, Van Zanic, and after renewing her certifications, Leah began serving part time in the training room in the fall. 

“I was a little nervous about getting back into the field after a few years away, but the team of trainers here have been super receptive and helpful as I get back up to speed. I have been really glad to get to use a significant part of my education that I hadn’t been able to use professionally yet. The students here are great, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know a number of athletes. Geneva students are a good bunch to work with.” 

By Chris Mathews ‘00