Abby Knight, who earned a master's degree in exercise science from Northern Michigan University in 2023, was invited to join the U.S. athletic training staff at the recent FISU World University Games in Berlin, Germany. About 8,500 student-athletes and technical officials from more than 150 countries participated in 18 sports. This was her first time applying her knowledge and skills abroad.
“It was an electrifying experience because we had the opportunity to see not only international competition, but sports I don't typically get to see in athletics in general—from table tennis and fencing to judo and three-on-three wheelchair basketball,” said Knight, a full-time athletic trainer at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. “I had an opportunity to understand those sports better, and also try to figure out what kind of injuries would be most likely in each one by watching their movements and interacting with the athletes.”
Knight was invited to join the U.S. athletic trainers by Paul Alvarez, retired director of the athletic training program at the University of La Verne in California, where Knight earned her bachelor's degree before pursuing a master's at Northern. She said she could not pass it up.
“I was eager to take advantage of the opportunity to expand my understanding of athletic training at the largest multi-sport competition in the world this year—like an Olympics for college students—which is a very different experience from the setting I'm typically in,” she added. “It also allowed me to learn from people I've never worked with before. In addition to athletic trainers, our delegation team had an orthopedic surgeon, a chiropractor and a couple of general practice doctors. It's rare to have a chance to work with such a diverse group of people.”
The delegation dealt with a variety of injuries, Knight said, from “run-of-the-mill” ankle sprains and muscle strains to higher-level fractures that required bracing to relieve pressure before the athletes returned home. One of the most severe injuries at the competition was an Italian gymnast who under-rotated on his dismount from the rings and landed on his neck.
“We didn't directly deal with that because he wasn't one of our athletes, but he was in the hospital in Germany for a while, in a medically induced coma, before being transferred to Italy,” Knight added. “The last update I saw was that he was talking with family and friends and was working his way back through rehab. It becomes more challenging when you have to coordinate with services within a host country, and then eventually try to get the athlete home for continued care. That can be the biggest complication, but most international events have a plan in place to make it pretty seamless.”
At Whitworth University, Knight's primary sports are women's soccer and lacrosse, along with swimming and dive. She also helps her four athletic trainer colleagues with the school's other sports, as needed. Knight did not work directly with any teams while enrolled at Northern, but she did provide athletic training services to campus and community members at the Injury Evaluation and Care Clinic in the PEIF.
“I loved my time at Northern, because of both the people there and the chance to gain a better understanding of the human body. All of my classes expanded my knowledge of how the body responds—to everyday life, to physical activity, to high-level exercise—and to tie those concepts into better care, better rehab design, and better management of my athletes. It helped me refine my skills and be a better clinician.”
While Knight was not an athlete at the college level, she did participate in a variety of sports growing up. She said she realized in high school that she was drawn to learning more about the human body, but could not picture herself in a career that was monotonous or required her to be inside all day.
“So when I found out about athletic training, that kind of married my interests of being active outside and the medical understanding of the human body. There are a lot of common injuries and common themes that arise throughout the seasons as an athletic trainer, but every day ends up being a little different. It's fun.”
Learn more about the exercise science, athletic training and other programs available through the NMU School of Health and Human Performance at nmu.edu/hhp.
