In the 2023-24 school year, Class of ‘23 alumni Anjali Aarkoti and Natalie Chua and seniors Riley Adler and Emmy Pak were disappointed to learn that the Sports Medicine class wasn’t being offered due to a lack of necessary signups.
Not wanting to see the subject fade away, the four set out to create their own club — relying on information from the internet and their adviser Amy Obenour, the teacher for sports medicine, for information. As school athletes, they were hoping to learn more about sports medicine and how to treat their own injuries, helping other fellow athletes in the process.
“I’ve sprained both my ankles, and a lot of people have wrist problems and shoulder problems, so we were just wondering how to educate ourselves and our peers on how to better maintain their bodies,” Pak said.
While the Sports Medicine class is now in the school curriculum — which Pak takes — the club is still running strong, with at least 20 students often attending meetings.
The officers of the club — president Adler, vice president Pak, social media manager Caitlin Lee, treasurer Nolan Woo and secretary Aanya Hotha — plan their meetings to start off with a lesson and continue with an activity that practices the skill they’ve learned.
For example, the club has hosted practical presentations on taping wrists and other parts of the body where athletes commonly suffer injuries. On the other hand, they’ve also taught the applications of sports medicine as careers to help students who are interested in continuing their journey with sports medicine.
“I think most of our club members are athletes, and since they play sports, they want to learn more about how to take care of themselves,” Pak said.
Because Pak takes the sports medicine class offered by Obenour, she has also seen students learn to love the subject and want to continue pursuing it. Besides a possible sports medicine career, however, the officers stress the value of learning to care for one’s own body in a low-risk, relaxed environment.
“Our club [emphasizes treating] injuries so athletes can perform the best they can,” Lee said. “Even though I don’t want to go into sports medicine, it’s really a fun club.”
