Sophie Rumsey is someone who is so important to our community, but you might not know her and what she does for the athletes at the school. Sophie is the athletic trainer for all of the sports teams. Sofie tries to balance her time evenly between all teams and shows up to as many home games and practices as she can. If you don’t know what an athletic trainer is, they are “that person standing on the sideline with a bag and they run out onto the field to help the player [when they are injured] — that’s an athletic trainer.” Athletic trainers are there to help the athletes in case of injury on the field, and they help manage pain and get the athlete back on the field or court as quickly as they can. Sophie has quickly become part of the teams and a valued member of the community. I had a chance to interview Sophie about who she is and why she became an athletic trainer, and here are her answers.

Q: Will you give some background on who you are and what you do for the school?

My name is Sophie. I went to college at Weber State up in Ogden. I work as the athletic trainer here [at Rowland Hall]. I basically cover if you guys [the athletes] get injured on the field and help manage your pain with injuries.

Q: How did you become the athletic trainer for Rowland Hall?

The person who I am contracted through reached out to one of my professors and said, “Okay, we are looking to hire someone for Rowland Hall. You can send this out and see if anyone is interested.” I had just recently graduated at that time, so I was like “Okay, yeah sure.” It kind of just fell into place from there.

Q: What made you want to be an athletic trainer?

I have always loved sports, and in seventh grade we took a career profession quiz, and athletic trainer was one of the ones that popped up for me, so I went “Yes!,” and I just fell in love with it more and more ever since.

Q: What is something that you love about being an athletic trainer?

Getting to know the athletes and building those connections and relationships. That's the best part. It sucks that I have to be a part of the injury side of it, which is the least favorite part of the sport for them [the athlete]. I think that one-on-one connection is just the best.

Q: Growing up, did you play any sports?

I played rec-soccer in first grade, then my best friend from elementary school played softball. I was like, “What is that?” and she said, “like baseball.” Then I was like, “I’m in!” Then I played softball up until middle school.

Sophie has been incredibly helpful to this year's fall athletes. Akemi Kawabata, Rowland Hall freshman, said, “She is amazing! I love her.” Many of the athletes went and saw Sophie everyday for long lasting injuries, while others went more sporadically, for example if their ankle hurt because they landed on it weird at practice the day before. Sophie is here for any student athlete and she is always willing to help. If you go to her, she will help you by either taping or wrapping. She might also give you exercises to help strengthen or stretch out the pain area.

Sophie has left an amazing impact on students. Kunga Kabsang, junior at Rowland Hall, says, “Sophie was always there to help me recover from my injuries during the soccer season. Whether it was taping my ankle before games, teaching me stretches for my hip, or just checking in to make sure I was feeling okay, she always went above and beyond. Her encouragement and care kept our whole team strong and motivated, even when things got difficult.” 

Sophie has helped many athletes with their injuries and she has made a huge difference in the Rowland Hall Community. I highly suggest getting to know Sophie as she is an incredibly kind person and will always help you.