Emma Wagner’s red-painted nails tap away on her keyboard when a loud knock hits her door. She lets three players begin to complain about their injuries from practice and games. One by one, she helps each individual. She wraps an ankle with several kinds of tape and several methods of lacing it around the ankle joint to secure it in place. Next, she hooks someone up to the stim machine. Plugging in lead wires to sticky pads and placing them down on the identified area of pain. Finally, a simple ice bath is needed to shrink a swollen finger. They all thank Emma for her help and leave. Emma finally gets to sit back at her desk to complete her work when three different players show up at the door. She rises back to action.
Since the fall of 2021, Emma Wagner has been the Head Athletic Trainer at Emery/Weiner School, demonstrating unwavering dedication to her role. Her daily routine involves assisting numerous athletes in their recovery from a variety of injuries.
Wagner is the definition of a hard worker, typically coming into the school at around 11 am and leaving close to 8 p.m. She states that her daily schedule includes: “attending meetings with coaches, directors, or students, filling out paperwork, taking inventory, teaching a health and wellness class, and emailing coaches, parents, and students.” After school, she has more work ahead of her: “I set up water coolers all around the school for the many games and practices that occur, I work further on any paperwork left from the day, I help out kids who are hurt or who get hurt, and I teach some students about health and healing practices,” says Wagner.
Emma’s commitment to safety extends to Saturdays when she often comes in to set up and work at football games. Her role is crucial in ensuring the safety of all players, as she arrives three hours before each game to create a comprehensive checklist for the field and the players, and then proceeds to set everything up.
Wagner is a crucial part of the Emery/Weiner athletics program. She is always there to cheer on the teams, aid students, and prevent injuries. Many times, people don’t realize just how much she does for them and the school. She is constantly working behind the scenes, setting up for sporting events and cleaning them up, texting doctors and parents to fully understand how a student is feeling after injuries, and doing research to learn new and developed ways to help those in need.
