September Halftime Report: The CCES Athletic Training Dream Team, Angie and MJ

 

When you walk through the section of McCall Field House that houses athletic training, you will quickly notice quite a few recent changes. The original space was multi-purpose – it had treatment tables for taping ankles, a tub for ice baths, supplies stored throughout, and served as the office for CCES Athletic Trainer, MJ Suber.

 

Now, there is a second room across the hall. Like the original, the space is open, with the typical treatment table and stationary bike set up. But it’s also where Angie Johnson, in the space of a few short months, has made herself at home, seamlessly incorporating herself into the fabric of the school.

 

While new to CCES, Angie is definitely no stranger to high school athletic training. In fact, she has spent the past 18 years right up the road, at JL Mann. During that time, there were some periods where she shared responsibilities with various co-workers, but for most of the time, including the last three years, Angie was working solo. While starting over in a new environment, getting to know a new group of student-athletes, and working to earn their trust can be a little intimidating, Angie is excited to build relationships with everyone here at CCES. And as a large bonus, she gets to be close to her family while doing it. Her husband, DJ Johnson, joined CCES last year as Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Physical Education Instructor, and their two sons – Kastor ’31 and Tatum ’35 – are current students.

 

Angie and MJ have a connection as well. As colleagues through Prisma Health for seven years, they always enjoyed running into each other at monthly staff meetings. They have a lot in common – both understanding the joys of working with students, navigating the solo responsibility of serving so many teams and athletes, and balancing a career that has irregular hours with a young family. (MJ and his wife, Brooke, have a young son and can often be found on the sidelines cheering on various Cavalier teams). So being able to transition into full-time coworkers at CCES with another athletic trainer to lean on has been nothing short of a dream come true.

 

Since Angie started this summer, she and MJ have been busy serving all CCES teams, with all the various athletic events that take place on campus throughout the week. Thankfully, they quickly found that their strengths and preferences complement each other well and made it an easy fit. Angie prefers some of the more routine tasks like taping ankles and working on schedules, while MJ really enjoys working on rehab programming for individual athletes. During football games, MJ loves being right in the middle of the action by the line of scrimmage, while Angie has always gravitated towards the back end.

 

Angie and MJ acknowledge that athletic training has its challenges as a long-term career, including work-life balance and the risk of burnout from the ongoing demands that often accompany the job, but they are committed to making it work -- for both their families and the students they serve at CCES. They wear a lot of hats – reassuring players who go down with an injury, walking through rehab training, navigating concussions and illnesses, and even serving as weatherman, assessing temperatures and making decisions for the safety of our student-athletes. However, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Angie and MJ take great pride knowing they are the only healthcare professionals who are able to walk with athletes through every step of the process. They are able to build a strong rapport with students, so much so, that many stay in touch even after graduation. Angie has photos and notes hanging on the wall next to her desk from former athletes – some who are now married with their own kids.

 

In an ideal world, every school would have an athletic training staff. It’s not required, but both Angie and MJ feel like it should be. However, due to the constant turnover and trainers leaving the field because of burnout, this is unfortunately unrealistic for many schools. So we count ourselves lucky to have not just one, but two warm, upbeat, and steady presences serving our student-athletes – in the training room, at practices, and on the sidelines of games. Angie and MJ are an invaluable part of the CCES community and are certainly a big part of why Cavalier Athletics can sustain continued success.