Harvard is home to 42 varsity athletic programs, the most in the NCAA. These athletes perform both on and off the field, supported by the Harvard Varsity Club and other support systems throughout the University. Crimson athletes especially rely on a key group of 17 individuals to make it through grueling practices and competitions: the athletic trainers. On top of keeping athletes healthy, the athletic training staff are some of the most dedicated fans on campus and are essential members of each of the teams that they work with. Harvard trainers go above and beyond their job description, working overtime to care for the whole person, not just the athlete.
While they receive little external recognition, athletic trainers are responsible for keeping players on the field; they treat any and all injuries for athletes both in and out of season, traveling for away weekends, and staffing practices to keep the team safe and healthy. Trainers are in constant contact with players and coaches to advocate for athletes and keep them on the field in the best condition possible. At Harvard, almost all of the trainers work with multiple sports teams, so they must balance treating in and out-of-season athletes to prevent and treat injuries.
To become an athletic trainer, one needs to complete a master’s program at a CAATE-accredited program. Harvard does not have this type of program, but the sports medicine department does offer transition-to-practice training for newly accredited clinicians to get live experience in a Division I setting. Clinical settings are a major part of proper training, as prospective trainers can develop the technical skills necessary to adequately treat athletes; these experiences offer live exposure to injuries and specialized treatment techniques.
A trainer’s ability to adequately treat their teams comes from developing trust between the players and the professional. This relationship carries the same importance as that of player and coach. Trainer Beth Boyington has been staffed on the field hockey team since she began working at Harvard nine years ago. In her time with Crimson Athletics, she has also worked with the wrestling, fencing, and softball teams. Before joining the Harvard staff, she worked with the football programs at the University of Texas, Austin, and the University of Oregon. Boyington stressed in her interview with the Independent that “gaining the trust…[of athletes] can be a difficult roadblock,” but it is her job to develop this trust so she can prevent further injury.
In her previous position at Power 5 programs, Boyington was exposed to treatment options beyond the scope of what is allowed by Harvard funding. She said, “I think for as big of a program as Harvard is, they do as much as they can within the bounds that we are restricted to, to create the resources and create a staff that knows how to work well within the resources that we have.” All of the trainers at Harvard view their hands as their most important assets in properly treating student-athletes; any type of manual therapy cannot be completely replicated by the flash of new technology.
With so many sports to cover, the trainers at Harvard are not confined to just their assigned teams. “We learn the body. We don’t learn a sport,” Boyington explained. Within their education, trainers are taught to treat injuries all over the body so they can fill in coverage holes while others are on away trips or sick. The strong group of 17 trainers works together just like every team they treat, relying on strong lines of communication and the cooperation of the athletes they are working with.
Furthermore, trainers at Harvard face additional time constraints from athletes’ academic requirements; while teams set treatment schedules before practice, the staff spends their day preparing for the rush of students from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. when student-athletes hurry to get some form of treatment before heading out to the field. As Boyington stated, “Two o’clock hits, and everything just gets really hectic. It’s about getting people efficient treatment. If I get five minutes with someone, I need to make sure they’re the most efficient five minutes I can give them.”
Above all, the athletic trainers at Harvard are able to maintain a strong work-life balance while bringing elements from home into the training room. Boyington’s dog Tucker is adored by the field hockey team and a frequently requested companion during weekend treatments. On weekends, when the field hockey or softball team has away contests, Tucker is often watched by other members of the training staff. This goes to show that the bonds formed in Dillon Field House over the long tenure of many members of the staff extend beyond the workplace. Every athletic trainer is not only an important part of their respective sports teams, but a key piece in the well-oiled machine of Harvard sports medicine. They lean on each other, and together, they are able to provide the highest quality care that helps propel Harvard sports toward victory.
Kate Oliver ’26 (koliver@college.harvard.edu) could not survive her sport without the athletic trainers.