North Allegheny is widely renowned for its athletic culture. Yet in a district so well known for its high-performing athletes and accoladed coaches, it can be easy to overlook those who keep a fine-tuned machine running smoothly.

With attention fixed to those on the field, many undervalue the effort taken by North Allegheny’s athletic trainers and their workload pertaining to all the district’s sports. Being curious as to trainers’ opinions on sports and the current trend of fitness at North Allegheny, I visited Mr. Bill Love to investigate.

Mr. Love (known as Dr. Love by students) is a trainer and physical education teacher at North Allegheny Intermediate High School. Like most athletes who participate in sports through high school and college, Mr. Love experienced setbacks and had to work with those specializing in how the body works.

While beginning his own research into athletic training during Anatomy and Physiology as a high school senior, Love found his passion. “I just thought the body was the coolest thing ever,” he said.

The initial interest soon morphed into a full-time career, as he accepted his first job at North Allegheny in 2000.

For seventeen years, Love has consistently been a guide for student-athletes in need of advice pertaining to sport-related injuries and fitness as a lifestyle.

“When I think about fitness, I see everybody as having the potential to be a fitness-style athlete,” Love said. “Regardless of your shape, size, or place in life, everybody needs that same foundation.”

But how does that foundation accord with society’s standpoint on health? Love described the abundance of health care and modern medical procedures as a “false sense of security.” While they can fix problems, resorting to operations as a cure-all will not help if lifestyle choices do not improve in the long run.

In fact, Love is one of many who believe that a desire to improve and refine the body’s metabolic activities is the propellant behind society’s continued ascension towards healthy lifestyles.

The camaraderie associated with trending obstacle/adventure races, namely Tough Mudder and Spartan Races, certainly inspires many via a means of friendly competition. And when such trends are considered alongside recurring fitness fads such as Crossfit, one cannot deny that society is progressing toward healthier living.

Despite an increase in popularity, though, there is also a negative side associated with society becoming more oriented towards sport and fitness. As athletes have become more and more specialized at a younger and younger age, injuries have become more and more prevalent.

When asked about this trend, Love said, “I would be willing to bet that the majority of the injuries I see are all directly related in some way, shape, or form to the idea of one body moving in one specific pattern repetitively over and over and over again all year long.”

So should children play multiple sports as a means of preventing a predisposition to injuries? In reality, there is no definitive answer. Yet in a district such as North Allegheny, where the pressure to keep up with other kids excelling in one particular sport is huge, the tendency to settle for an all-around athlete is disappearing in place of a specialization. The trend of training hard when young and dealing with the consequences later is becoming an all-too-familiar story observed in NA and across the country.

There is, however, a means of limiting the possibility of injury. Just as recovery is crucial to getting back in the game, injury prevention and patience are both vital paths of diligence an athlete must possess.

“The body can essentially do anything you ask it to do,” Love said, “as long as you treat it right and give it the time it needs to change.”

Progressing actively without minimizing activity is certainly beneficial to recovering athletes, as is performing exercises that strengthen weak muscle groups. Foam rolling, Mr. Love’s personal favorite method of injury prevention, is one such example. And as long as specialized athletes remain diligent in their methods of prevention and recovery, the possibility of athletic derailment can be very much minimized.

In a district where athletes, coaches, and winning traditions are the center of attention, it can be easy to overlook those who provide the foundation for North Allegheny’s success. And yet, it is hard to ignore the incredible impact that trainers and gym teachers have on the culture of sport. The desire to enhance not only the performance of athletes but also the lifestyle of NA’s community is certainly something special that deserves at least a little recognition.