KOC Welcomes New Head Athletic Trainer for the Ice Bears
Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic celebrates National Athletic Training Month in March by introducing the new head athletic trainer for the Knoxville Ice Bears and offering a behind-the-scenes peek at athletic training on the ice.
Rachel Jackson, ATC, talked with WATE and WVLT about her new role.
“With hockey, you can’t take your eyes off the ice for a second,” Jackson said. “You have to be ready to respond immediately and prepared for injuries and blood.”
Jackson earned her bachelor’s degree in applied exercise science and worked with the baseball team at Azusa Pacific University. She earned her master’s degree at the University of Lynchburg. Jackson worked in athletic training at East Los Angeles College in California, the University of South Florida in Tampa, and Carson-Newman University before taking on chillier and faster-paced conditions with the Ice Bears.
Jackson is one of the 26 athletic trainers who are a part of the KOC Sports Medicine Outreach program covering high schools and colleges across East Tennessee, including the University of Tennessee, Carson-Newman University, Maryville College, Lincoln Memorial University and Johnson University.
KOC providers also support professional teams including the Knoxville Smokies and One Knoxville SC in addition to the Knoxville Ice Bears.