Super Staff: Athletic Trainer Sara Larson
Written by Boomer Vuori, Former Student on Monday, October 20, 2014
Sara Larson has been the head Athletic Trainer at SHS for 17 years, and is in charge of getting our athletes back to their respective sports as quickly as possible after an injury.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: I got my Bachelors of Arts Degree at Montana State University while on a skiing scholarship, and I got my Masters of Science Degree at San Jose State University. I was a graduate student stipend for working as a student athletic trainer.
Q: How did you decide what you wanted to study?
A: I was an athlete and knew I wanted to do something sports related.
Q: Did anything specific make you want to become an Athletic Trainer?
A: Yes. When I was a senior in high school, I injured my hamstring while competing in track. I went to the athletic trainer at our school, whom had just got hired at our school that spring, to see what was wrong. He showed me how to stretch it. He wrapped it before practices and meets and told me to ice. Before I met him I had no idea what an athletic trainer was or did. After talking with him about my injury it sparked an interest in what I wanted to do, so I picked his brain about what I needed to do to become an Athletic Trainer.
Q: How long have you worked at Snohomish High School?
A: This is my 17 year as the athletic trainer at SHS.
Q: Has working at SHS been a pleasant experience for you?
A: Yes, working at SHS has been a pleasant experience for me. I have met so many wonderful athletes, parents, staff and coaches. Every day is a new day as far as what to expect in the athletic training room, at practices and at games. It is very rewarding seeing athletes comeback from an injury and compete. I also enjoy seeing and hearing about athletes compete at the next level. I enjoy it when they come back to visit SHS and talk about how they are doing in their sport in college or at the professional level.
Q: How long would you like to continue being an athletic trainer for?
A: I would like to continue being an athletic trainer until I retire.
Q: What would you have chosen to be aside from an athletic trainer?
A: If I hadn't become an athletic trainer, I would have liked to been an Orthopedic Surgeon.
Q: What are some of your accomplishments from your skiing career?
A: Some of my accomplishments from being a ski racer for 16 years are:
-Getting full equipment sponsorship when I was 12
-First combined (SL and DH) Northwest Cup
-Second Overall Northwest Cup Slalom
-Awarded skiing scholarship at Montana State University
-1987 NCSA (National Collegiate Ski Association) Slalom Champion
- All-American two years (Junior and Senior year in College)
-Captain of the Ski team senior year in college
Q: Do you think that being an Athlete had a part to play in becoming an Athletic Trainer?
A: Most definitely! Being an athlete had a big part of me wanting to be an Athletic Trainer. I got injured a lot in ski racing, starting when I was 15 with shoulder dislocations and knee injuries.
