As the spring sporting season begins, Sandpoint High School has hired a new athletic trainer, Molly Radonich, in hopes of preventing student athlete injuries and helping those already injured reach a fast recovery.

“My husband is from Sandpoint so after college I moved back up here… it just worked really well that there was a position open for an athletic trainer,” Radonich said.

Radonich grew up in the Seattle area before attending Washington State University, where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science in athletic training. After graduating, Radonich found employment at Azusa Pacific University in southern California, before eventually moving to Sandpoint.

“This will be my first full year [of athletic training], we did three years of clinical experience in college along with our education, so I’ve been doing athletic training type stuff for the past four years, but this is my first full year as an athletic trainer,” Radonich said.

As a college-educated athletic trainer, Radonich will bring a wealth of knowledge to SHS.

“I do a lot of prevention methods, to prevent injuries and help correct any biomechanical issues just so that kids are less likely to get injuries. And then athletic trainers as a field, are experts in concussions, so we do concussion management, and research. So, if an athlete gets a concussion we make sure that they are symptom free and safe to get back into play through a progressive protocol so we are sure that they are fully healed from their concussion.” Radonich said.

Along with preventative and recovery/rehab care for athletes, Radonich plans to be at all home games and practices for different sports so that she can also provide “on the field” care.

“…[Athletic trainers] provide immediate medical care for athletes and then from there we can either refer them out to a doctor, physical therapist, or anything like that, where we can do rehab just to help get kids back into sports in a pain free manor… I’m out at practices and all the home games just in case an injury does happen out there I can be there to immediately respond to it and treat it.”

Radonich can be found in her office in the weight room or at various practices and home games.

“I just love working with high school students and getting to help out making sure they are playing pain free sports,” Radonich said.