By Gracie Maurer
Athletic trainers are looked at for how they help you physically, but many people don’t see the other side.
“She’s helped me with my physical needs as well as being a safe room to talk to and someone to sit with when I just don’t want to do anything else,” junior Ruth Sherck said.
The athletic trainer at Delta High School is Jen Detweiler. Although she is Delta’s trainer now, she didn’t originally plan to become an athletic trainer.
Mrs. Detweiler grew up in Fountain City, Ind., near Richmond. She went to Northeastern High school, then majored in nursing at the University of Indianapolis.
Her oldest brother was killed in a car accident at the end of her freshman year of college. Her twin brother, Bryan Brown, went to Ball State.
She said that after the death they thought it would be better to be on the same campus so she transferred to Ball State.
But when she got there the Ball State nursing program was on probation because their nursing students were not passing the state boards at an adequate percentage.
So she switched to becoming an athletic trainer.
“I’ve always been interested in sports medicine,” Mis. Detweiler said. “I’ve always loved sports. I was active in high school.”
She ran cross country and was a cheerleader in high school.
Jen worked as a trainer at Indiana Wesleyan University through 2018-2019.
“I loved it there but when the position opened at Delta, it was a no-brainer to switch jobs,” Mrs. Detweiler said.
She has been working at Delta since August 2019.
Mrs. Detweiler isn’t just involved in sports with being an athletic trainer.
“Sports kind of rule our life,” she said.
Her son, Carter, is in sixth grade and 11 years old. He plays basketball and Metro football.
He’s not the only one involved with basketball.
Mark Detweiler is her husband. He’s the head coach of boys’ basketball and teaches history.
They first ran into each other at Randolph Southern High School when she was leaving her mom’s classroom.
They’ve been married for 24 years.
Junior Grier Backus is one of many who have depended on Mrs. Detweiler.
At soccer she was doing a drill and got caught on the ball. She ended up breaking her tibia and fibula as well as tearing two ligaments.
She had to have surgery on her foot.
This injury hasn’t just taken a toll on her physically but also mentally.
“It made my life completely turn around,” Backus said.
It ended her soccer session and has set her back on her diving season. She’s done track in the past but is not continuing with it this year.
Mrs. Detweiler has helped her more than just physically.
“Physically with all my injuries … but mentally just talking to me,” said Backus, who has been to Mrs. Detweiler’s room since her freshman year.
Backus had to get her ankle taped during freshman year by Mrs. Detweiler. She has had back troubles from her diving, and she also went to Mrs. Detweiler for those issues.
Not only has Mrs. Detweiler helped athletes, she’s also helped people who want to be in the same profession.
“She’s always open to helping anybody with anything they need help with,” junior Audrey Anderson said.
Anderson has been working with her since the end of her freshman year. She shadows Mrs. Detweiler, learning by watching what she does. She said she has learned the proper way to wrap an ankle.
Ruth Sherck is also interested in that profession.
“Because of who Jen is she’s made me want to decide that I want to be an athletic trainer,” Sherck said.
She has been going to Mrs. Detweiler’s room since before she came to high school.
In eighth grade Sherck strained a ligament in her knee.
She then had knee issues her freshman year. At the beginning of her junior year she strained a tendon in her foot that was pulling on a bone, causing a stress reaction.
“She checks on me mentally and not just physically — just being a person there for you and not just helping you with your physical needs,” Sherck said.
