TBB Welcomes Awesome AT Ms. Julie Tucker

To be considered a student-athlete is one of the most praised and rewarding parts of attending high school. Athletes must divide their time around school and sports, which can be difficult to manage. They shouldn’t worry about managing injuries and staying safe on top of existing responsibilities alone. That is where athletic trainers come in, and once again, Blake has a new athletic trainer!

Ms. Julie Tucker is an experienced and kind-hearted individual who truly enjoys her position at Blake.

Ms. Julie’s typical day starts with managing her morning responsibilities before coming to Blake every day. Because of this, she vocalized that she has “a very different schedule than most professionals out there.” Right after the final bell rings, she prepares student-athletes for practices and games by taping, wrapping, evaluating, and completing interventions like foam rolling, stretching, and modalities. 

During practices, you can find Ms. Julie steady at work doing rehabilitation exercises or checking on each team’s practice. She may also have to respond to any emergencies or injuries that occur. She says that on game days, you can find her “on the sideline, court, mat, or field monitoring the games, matches, or competitions providing medical coverage.” Ms. Julie expressed that when multiple games are going on, though difficult, she tries her best to hop around between events and help with any issues that may arise.

A cool thing about Ms. Julie is that she is a Blake alum! “It is very cool to be back at Blake after so many years!” she exclaimed. Ms. Julie noted that “a lot of the same traditions are still going on, from the pre-game football entries with the band and team to the packed gym for basketball games and themes for all home games,” which is fun to see. She added that she was “able to reconnect with former teachers and classmates,” whom she has not seen in years and who are “huge supporters.”

When asked if she has a favorite sport, she stated that she loves “to work and cover all sports,” being there to support all her athletes at each home and some away competitions. She claims that if she “had to choose a sport other than rugby…it would be gymnastics!”

To dive into why Ms. Julie was inspired to become an athletic trainer, she mentioned that Blake did not have an athletic trainer when she was in high school, and she didn’t even know what an athletic trainer was. She said it was when she had to pick a major when transferring from MC to West Chester University that she realized she wanted to go into athletic training. Ms. Julie was sure she wanted to “get into the medical field and…work with athletes…[but] not…get into physical therapy.” She had many conversations with “several professors over the phone in the health sciences department at WCU [and] they guided [her] towards [her] decision to choose athletic training” as a major.

A fun fact about Ms. Julie is that she has gotten to travel the world as an athletic trainer. It “allows [her] to be able to provide the highest quality of care to the best of [her] ability while educating those around [her], especially in different countries that may not have athletic trainers or physiotherapists.” If you know Ms. Julie, you know how kind she is. She pointed out that she is “fortunate to be able to gain the trust of the athletes very quickly that [she] will work with for the entirety of each tour.” She added that she is also “able to be there for them on and off the field to help meet their needs as top performing athletes at such a high level.” She proclaimed that these opportunities have allowed her to not only provide medical care, but also “network within sports medicine, strength performance and nutrition, and the rugby community on an international platform.”

Ms. Julie closed her interview by mentioning that she wants the Bengals to know that she is “excited to continue to get to know our athletes as we continue into the spring season.” The Blake Beat thanks you for your time, Ms. Julie, and wishes you the best of luck this season!