TRAINER JOHN: THE MAN BEHIND THE SCENES

By ANDREW FITZPATRICK

ANDREW FITZPATRICK FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

As the Washingtonville’s sports teams compete year round, athletes often require some form of injury prevention to keep them as healthy as possible.  They may also need medical treatment and/or injury evaluation.  When they need this medical attention, members of the Wizard’s athletic program turn to one person: athletic trainer John Kosowicz.

Mr. Kosowicz has been the athletic trainer at Washingtonville since March of 2010.  He attended Monroe-Woodbury High School, where he graduated in 1999. He proceeded to attend Dominican College of Blauvelt, where he got his B.S. in athletic training, graduating in 2003.  He wanted to pursue his dream job: to be an athletic trainer.  John expressed, “I love being around sports and I was drawn to the unconventional nature of this profession.”

As the athletic trainer at Washingtonville, John has a very challenging task: to make sure all athletes are healthy and able to perform at their very best.  John believes that, “Each day presents me with unique situations and different challenges.  No two days are ever the same.” 

Trainer John’s day starts after the school day ends.  He fulfills different forms of injury prevention in order to benefit the teams.  He covers team practices and games keeping him extremely busy from 2:00 until every team is done practicing or competing in games.

John weighed in on the importance of being the athletic trainer at Washingtonville High School.  “To me, being at Washingtonville is extremely important because this is where I live, and it was always my dream to be working in the same school district that my kids attend.  It’s a special feeling when there is a problem and people look to you.  I feel as if I am contributing to our community.”

Trainer John is well liked among all of the student athletes at Washingtonville.  One student in particular that has been greatly affected by Trainer John is junior, Kareem Lubin.  Lubin is in his second year on varsity basketball, and he has also played soccer in his three years at Washingtonville.  He met John as a freshman, where their bond only grew from there.  Kareem expressed that, “Not only does John help me with pains and injuries, he’s actually one of my favorite people to talk to.  I can also ask him questions about the human body or my health.”

Being the athletic trainer for an athletic program does not come with the direct recognition that other members of an athletic program may receive.  An athletic trainer’s job is just as important as a coach or a player.  When Washingtonville’s teams succeed, Trainer John is one of the driving forces behind the success.