PGHS Athletic Trainer Kristin Pond Continues to go the Extra Mile Kristin helps athletes decide when they should sit out a game and let their bodies heal, as well as preparing them to get back on to the field as soon as it is safe for them. phmo cour(esy of Danica Baird eleven years. In addition, Pond has also taught Health Science classes at the high school for nine years. Pond covers sixteen different sports and many of these sports have junior varsity, sophomore, and varsity teams. Pond can typically be found on the sidelines at every home game. Although the away games are harder to attend, she tries to cover as many as she possibly can. Pond said, "Trying to divide my time between all the different sports that are going on at one time is hard to balance. Time management is definitely the hardest thing about my job." Football season keeps Pond extremely busy due to the number of injuries. Pond said, "Football is where I treat the most injuries because it has the most participants. Throughout the season, I easily deal with fifty to hundred different injuries." However, Spring is her busiest season due to the multiple games that overlap. Pond's goal is to help athletes realize that missing one game is better than missing the whole season due to an aggravated injury. Kristin helps athletes decide when they should sit out a game and let their bodies heal, as well as preparing them to get back on to the field as soon as it is safe for them to do so. For Pond, this is the most rewarding part of her job. She said, "Seeing an athlete who has been totally nonfunctional due to an injury come back and start competing again is very rewarding." Not only does Kristin love being an athletic trainer, she also enjoys sharing her love for Health Science with others. At the high school, Kristin teaches Sports Medicine and an Emergency Medical Service class. She also offers students a chance to internship in sports medicine. Sports Medicine Intern Katherine Diehl said, "I was injured my sophomore year and I got to know Kristin Pond really well. Watching her treat my injury really caught my interest so I took sports medicine and I really loved it." As a teacher and an athletic trainer, Kristin Pond goes above and beyond the call of duty. She is truly dedicated to helping athletes overcome injuries and helps students acquire a passion for health sciences. Kristin Pond is definitely one of the most valuable players at Pleasant Grove High School. by Danica Baird At Pleasant Grove High School, the most valuable player at every sporting event isn't necessarily the athlete. It's Athletic Trainer Kristin Pond. Pond is dedicated to helping each athlete and is always willing to go the extra mile. Becoming an athletic trainer wasn't Pond's original plan. During high school, she wanted to become a pediatrician. Each week, Kristin actively pursued this dream by volunteering at the local hospital. However, she quickly realized that being a pediatrician was not for her. During her junior year in high school, she discovered her true passion . Her love for sports prompted Kristin to enroll in a sports medicine class and that is when she found her true calling in life. Kristin knew that she wanted to be an athletic trainer. Pond said, "It combined my love for sports and medicine. It was the perfect blend and was the perfect job for me." Kristin graduated from BYU with a Bachelor's Degree in Athletic Training. After graduating, she became Pleasant Grove High School's Athletic Trainer, a post she has held for