The month of March is officially known as the National Athletic Training Month, and it is held to help spread awareness about the important work athletic trainers do. Micheal Avelar, more commonly known as Mike, is Westridge’s ATC. For those who don’t know, ATC stands for Athletic Trainer Certified, which is his official title at Westridge; however, he has proven to be much more than just a trainer during his time here.
When asked what he enjoys about Westridge, Mike answered, “Definitely you guys [Westridge athletes]. You guys are super nice and you guys welcomed me really quickly so it made my transition pretty easy for me.”
In the year and three months he has been at Westridge, Mike believes that he has brought a greater awareness to sports medicine and athletic training. “I feel like I have expanded it [sports medicine] enough to where I can reach out to a variety of kids here.” During his time at Westridge, Mike observed that when he first arrived, most students had no idea there was a trainer, unless you were injured. Now, Mike’s office is flooded with students everyday, utilizing his care to get treatment and rehabilitate their bodies.
His everyday schedule can vary, but he has close to 300 students coming in every season. “In a day, I would say average, maybe 20 to 25 in a day. My starting time is around noon. So I’ll usually exercise in the morning or I’ll finish errands, get stuff done and get ready for the workday,” said Mike. As an Athletic Trainer, Mike deals with various athletic injuries and treatments every day including evaluations, taping, icing, plan of actions, and so much more.
It wasn’t until Mike really experienced Westridge that he realized that high school athletics was a good fit for him. When asked about his decision to work at Westridge, Mike explained, “When I was a student in the [CAATE accredited Athletic Training program through California State University Northridge] program, I actually did not want to work in high school. But, I was really open to the idea of trying something new.” His experience was mainly with college kids, but he wanted to try something fresh and exciting. “And now, I love it,” he said. Women’s sports have proved to be the perfect fit for Mike. “I have a younger sister, and I’m really close with my mom. So I felt like a good option for an all-girls school,” he explained.
Previously, Mike was an Athletic Trainer at West LA College, specifically working with women’s soccer and volleyball and men’s football. Currently, alongside working for Westridge, he also works at UCLA with women and fighting sports as a per diem on the Athletic Training staff. Healthcare was always in the cards for Mike, but what was so appealing about athletic training was its variety and unpredictability.
Mike has made several contributions to the Westridge athletic program, from implementing a sign-in sheet where students fill in their treatment type so that Mike can keep track of their visits to pushing for new equipment that will better his services. However, he believes there is always room for improvement and is looking to expand the program. “I think people could show their support by funding and booster clubs,” he said. “A lot of equipment, supplies, and space expansion is needed.” Westridge has had multiple athletic trainers over the years, but as our newest member, Mike’s goal is to help the athletic program grow as much as he can.
