We were learning how to relieve back and neck tension by back and neck cracking along with muscle stretching. Because I had a solid anatomy background from dissecting Clare, all the lessons made tons of sense to me. The muscle stretching would focus on loosening the longest and strongest muscles to increase range of motion and strength. The back cracking would stretch the ligaments and joints of the back to cause the typical “crack” that helps loosen the joint. Doing these things would relieve tissue tension and improve circulation to the region. In many joints the cartilage is thick and lacks blood vessels, so they do not get blood flow to deliver nutrients or remove cell toxins. Cracking and stretching increases the circulation in the cartilage and lubricates the joints as well. So most of the athletes welcomed this treatment. All these things seemed natural for me to learn and do; I picked up the techniques quickly. That is all but one. We learned how to crack necks, but I had kind of a mental block when it came to cracking necks. I learned how to do it, and from a technical standpoint, I could do it quite well. It made me intensely nervous, however, because I had seen my cousin’s diving accident when he broke his neck. I was one of two witnesses to Tom’s accident, which occurred when he was 18 and I was 15. He dove into the water at a lake and came up with mud caked in his hair and flailing his arms. We held his head above water as we waited for help from the shore. Anyway, feeling the joints of a person’s neck crack in my hands gave me a very disconcerting feeling, so I tried to avoid it.

Doing the stretching and back cracking was gratifying because you could see the relief on the athletes’ faces immediately. On the rare occasion where I had to crack someone’s neck, I really do not recall the relief of the athletes, because I was too focused on my own emotions and my personal angst. 

Because of my previous training and experience, I was assigned to work the men’s wrestling team and it was in a separate training room in another building. This was a hard job, with a lot of responsibility. I was working there on a Friday before finals. Finals started on Monday and I had taken more research classes than the other trainers, so my course and exam load was pretty high. Nonetheless I was doing fine with the studies. I had all weekend to study and felt that my management of work, classes and studying was going quite well. I was not getting enough time or training to do research, however. Because I was a certified trainer and an EMT, I kept getting assigned to cover sporting events as a first aid and training staff in case of injuries. There was so little time for academics and to do the research I was interested in. I was hopeful that some opportunities would present themselves eventually, especially as others of the GA trainers gained experience.

The training room was very busy because the wrestlers were getting ready for the yearly Christmas tournament and there was a lot of stress, and adrenaline and testosterone flowing to keep the athletes sharp. Because it was relatively early in the season, the patient care that was needed was mostly to keep the team healthy and to help them make weight, which is important for wrestling. Wrestlers compete in specific weight classes and they often will need to lose weight to participate in their weight class. So a kind of perfect storm of intense exercise, low calorie intake and a sweaty germ-breeding environment surrounds the wrestlers in the winter season. This is ideal for leading to infections, colds and miscellaneous other ailments for the wrestlers. Keeping them healthy becomes just as important as treating injuries.

I became intimately involved with the health and hygiene of the wrestlers. I was teaching and preaching hand washing and personal grooming endlessly. Wrestlers need to keep their finger and toenails clipped and their hair trimmed. Some of the wrestlers needed to be reminded to shave regularly and appropriately with clean and sharp razors or electric shavers to prevent facial cuts that could get infected. This type of almost paternal care brings the trainer and the team close together.

The practice was supposed to end at 6:00 P.M. this day, and I planned to be out of the training room as soon as the athletes were cleaned up. Even though it was 5:20, I was not clockwatching until 6:00 and I was not in with the wrestlers during practice. I was cleaning the training room with disinfectant. Training rooms, gyms, locker rooms and anywhere you have sweaty bodies is a breeding ground for bacteria and infections. So multiple times every week these places all need to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. I was wiping down an exam table that had the traditional forest green vinyl top when the phone on the cinderblock wall rang. It was my boss, Clint Thompson. Clint was a great trainer but a horrendous manager, with poor people skills and notoriously bad planning. Without preamble he informed me that I was to work all day Saturday and Sunday to cover the Special Olympics that were being held locally. I was being assigned this duty the weekend before finals and at the very last minute.

 “But finals start on Monday,” I said.

“The special Olympics are over by then. You’ll make the finals,” he responded.

“That’s not the point. I need to study this weekend.”

“Bring books,” was his terse reply.

“I simply cannot work this weekend.”

“If you do not work this weekend, you do not have a job.”

“I guess I don’t have a job then.”

“You’re fired.”