Glen Lake Community Schools welcomes new athletic trainer Arthur Adkins since he moved over from Benzie Central late in 2024.
Adkins moved to the area from Ypsilanti seven years ago.
“I grew up in Clio, and I never really cared much for Michigan, so I was like, you know, if I stay in Michigan, I’d rather be in northern Michigan. I like it better up here. And since I got the opportunity, I settled in, and I managed to get a house up here, so things are going good, and I don’t have a reason to leave,” Adkins said.
Adkins recommends not giving up and doing your own research for those looking for housing.
Adkins completed his studies at Saginaw Valley State University before getting his first athletic training job at Ypsilanti Lincoln High School. He then moved north to train at Benzie Central.
“The transition is just about building relationships with the community, the families, the kids,” Adkins said.
Some of his day-to-day operations focus on injury prevention and keeping everybody on the same page.
“You’re trying to keep kids from hurting themselves. A lot of that comes down to educating the coaches, the parents, the administration, and everybody around these kids who teaches and interacts with them. If we’re all saying something different, it’s hard for them to do the right thing,” Adkins said. “I started in a larger school in Ypsilanti, so it’s a lot faster and a bit more intense there. So, coming up here, it’s almost relaxing. You do have your injuries, and some serious stuff happens, but overall, I felt pretty comfortable in this space.”
Adkins enjoys being an athletic trainer at several area prep events, including the girls’ hockey showcase and the Cherry Bowl soccer tournament in Traverse City.
Adkins is always teaching student-athletes the difference between being hurt and injured.
He says high school-age athletes are much easier to work with because you can reason and identify a pain scale from 1 to 10.
“I would say the high school age kids are a lot easier to work on because you can explain to them with reason ... Now when you start talking about middle school age or elementary school age, it’s a lot harder because they don’t have much life experience. It’s hard to reason with them or explain things, so that is challenging, and usually you have to make your best guess,” Adkins said. “You can see on their face if they’re wincing ... It’s more or less they just need somebody to tell them and let them know everything’s OK, and it’s just going to hurt for a little while.”
Adkins loves working with students who want to return to the court or field.
