On a Friday night in Cottonwood, Minnesota, Athletic Trainer Katie Dahl was doing two things she enjoys: watching local high school football and helping athletes stay healthy.
While her daughter participated with the young cheerleaders on the sidelines, Dahl was busy evaluating injuries during Lakeview's game against Canby.
When one player went down, Dahl immediately began assessing the injury, carefully moving his leg to determine what treatment or support he might need.
"It's kind of like managing (the situation). How severe is the injury? Is it something we can just modify?" Dahl explained. "Whether it's stretching, maybe wrapping or tapping. Just giving a little bit more support."
For Dahl, Athletic Training is also an opportunity to give back to the community where she lives.
"It's like I would probably come to the game anyways. Now I can kind of help give back a little bit to the community," she said.
Dahl began working full-time with Big Stone Therapies in 2013 before transitioning to part-time work to spend more time with her family. She now helps provide Athletic Training coverage through a partnership between Big Stone Therapies and Avera Marshall Medical Center.
The partnership supports five southwest Minnesota schools, including Lakeview, Marshall, Yellow Medicine East, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, and Minneota.
With a small team covering multiple schools, Athletic Trainers often spend evenings and weekends traveling to games, practices, and tournaments. Part-time professionals like Katie Dahl help ensure athletes have access to care when full-time staff are covering other events.
And while evaluating injuries is an important part of the job, Dahl says the relationships with young athletes are just as rewarding.
"It's fun working with the kids," she said. "We like sports typically, and then just helping people."
For Katie Dahl, being an Athletic Trainer means more than covering a game. It's a chance to care for young athletes, support local schools, and give something back to the community she calls home.