Between Gina Martin’s junior and senior years at La Salle-Peru High School, she tore her ACL and went through ACL reconstruction and rehab.

That set Martin on her career path.

“Going through the extensive rehab with Steve Korsan being my athletic trainer was so influential in my recovery and that’s what made me want to go into athletic training,” Martin said. “Seeing the motivation he gave me and the drive to recover to go back to do sports, that made me want to help someone else in my situation.”

After graduating from L-P in 1996, Martin went on to North Central College, where she played basketball and earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training.

And for the last 26 years, Martin has served as an athletic trainer - at IVCH from 2000-04 and at City Center Rehabilitation since 2005 - working with athletes at L-P.

“It’s rewarding to be able to give that expertise to the kids to get them to a full recovery,” Martin said. “Not only is it a physical thing, but in athletic training, you also play the mental health role. When you are eliminated from a sport due to injury, you go through phases of being sad. You think, ‘Why did it happen to me?’ Sometimes you go through anxiety or depression. Being able to connect with the kids and them knowing they can trust me to get them to where they need to be is part of the relationship you build with the athletes.”

As an athletic trainer, Martin fulfills many roles, working about 50 hours per week with some late nights.

Martin starts her day in the clinic, taking care of the business side of things and helping physical therapists with athletes who come in for rehab.

She’s at L-P after school for practices and home events. Game days include taping, stretching, electrical stimulation, strengthening, setting up water coolers, getting ice ready and more.

During the game, Martin is constantly watching for potential injuries.

“At times, people will say, ‘What happened on that play?’ I might not have actually seen it happen because I was worried about a hit that happened, and I’m then watching that kid get up,” Martin said. “We’re constantly watching if someone is getting up slow, watching how they’re walking, trying to analyze if there’s something wrong with them or do they just need to shake it off.”

They’re also always prepared to go on the field to help an injured player.

“Not only are we the pre-game prep and the rehab part, but we are the first responders on the field,” Martin said. “We are the first ones to an acute injury, like a broken leg, stabilizing it, keeping the athlete calm, or an asthma attack, controlling their breathing.

“That’s one of the parts that I love about my job is that emergency management on the field during game day.”

L-P baseball coach Matt Glupczynski said Martin is an asset to L-P athletics.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Gina for 15-plus years,” Glupczynski said. “Gina is trustworthy, dependable, hard working and bleeds red and kelly green. Any time a baseball player has an injury, I know they will receive the best possible care from Gina. I trust the diagnoses and treatment plans she creates.

“L-P is very lucky to have Gina. She is a pillar in our athletic department and school community.”

Along with her responsibilities as an athletic trainer, Martin has run a student athletic trainer program for about 15 years with students learning and helping on the sidelines. She’s had students go on to become athletic trainers, physical therapists and nurses.

She added a new role this year as a classroom teacher of sports medicine, an honors class for juniors and seniors at L-P.

Each semester includes a project. In the first semester, the students had to create an athletic training room. In the second semester, they were assigned an injury and had to create the rehab program from injury through return to play.

“It’s been really fun,” Martin said. “I’ve had a great group of students. Some of them are going to be athletic trainers. Some aren’t even going to go into the medical field, but they’re athletes and they want to know about how their body works and injuries.”

Martin has appreciated the chance to serve athletes – and pass down her knowledge – for nearly three decades.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have been able to be at L-P and in the Illinois Valley for this long,” Martin said. “The relationships I have developed at the high school with students, staff, parents and grandparents, to other community members I’ve met through City Center, have given me a great opportunity to give back to the families in the Illinois Valley.

“And 26 years later, I still love my job.”