Feature: Northwest Athletic Trainers

As winter sports of 2024-25 start, Northwest High School athletic trainers are required to help student-athletes perform their best.

Colin Whittie has been an athletic trainer at Waukee Northwest High School since the school opened in 2021. Whittie is one of the trainers and works Monday through Friday from 3:15-6:00 p.m. He is at the school in an easy location to help all student-athletes with their needs. 

Fall is a busy time for Northwest’s athletic trainers, but the work does not let up as Northwest transitions to Winter sports. “[During] the fall, we have boys and girls cross country, football and volleyball,” Whittie exclaimed. 

Currently, the sports taking action are basketball, wrestling, bowling and boys swimming. However, they are available to help during other sports seasons throughout the school year. They are very connected with many of their patients and have helped many student-athletes start and finish their recovery journey.

Brooke Dirks is the second athletic trainer at Waukee Northwest High School. Dirks has also been here since 2021 and has worked with Whittie throughout her career. 

“As the kids come in each day and I help them with either tapings or treatments or just water prep for things like football, and then we are just out and about around the school for anything that comes up whether it’s emergent or not,” Dirks stated. 

A look into the athletic trainers’ everyday lives clearly shows how busy they stay. The Northwest trainers work every day of the school week and have many tasks to accomplish throughout their shifts, even ensuring the players are well-hydrated. 

When Dirks and Whittie take care of the patients, they also have limited time because the athletes still need to get to practice on time after coming straight from school. The time between practice and school is around 20 minutes, but it varies for each sport. 

Not only do the trainers help athletes, but they also provide learning opportunities for interns. Abbie Miller is one example of this.

“I’m currently studying at Grandview University in the masters of Science and Athletic Training program, and I am doing my clinical here at Waukee Northwest with Brooke,” Miller commented.

Miller has an internship shadowing Dirks that started at the beginning of the sports season. She will shadow Dirks until the beginning of October and then move to another location. Miller does not diagnose athletes, so she tapes and helps with water. She cannot yet do more advanced injuries because she is still learning how to help athletes get a full recovery.