If you are a student athlete, especially an injured one, then you most likely know Scott. But for those who don’t, Scott Aji is the school’s athletic trainer. As someone who was recently hurt, I have gotten to spend more time with Scott. Spending more time with him made me more curious about why he chose to be a sports trainer and what he does everyday. So I decided to ask him. 

Common questions asked about Scott are what college he went to, what he studied, and why he chose athletic training. Well, Scott gave me the answers to it all. Scott went to King’s College in New York for his undergraduate, and received his master from California University of Pennsylvania. Very impressive. His undergraduate major was in Athletic Training and his Masters is in Rehabilitation Science. I trust him even more now. Scott has been a trainer since 2009. His first job was at Jag Physical therapy. He worked there full time, from May 2009 to August 2010,then part-time from August to March 2019. He started working at JCHS in August of 2010. 

Next, I asked Scott what he does on a daily basis; he gave me the rundown, “Most days I start off doing my daily injury notes, going over the schedule of games and practices for the day. I’ll usually review and teach the Montclair State Athletic Training Students that I have. Once the school day ends, I’ll start my tapings and treatments then go to games and practices.” 

Sounds manageable, except if there’s an injury… I asked Scott what the worst injuries he has dealt with are and he told me the “worst athletic injury I’ve ever had to deal with would probably be either a knee dislocation (not a patellar,  c but a tibiofemoral dislocation) or a hip dislocation. I’ve also had to deal with seizures and cardiac arrest, in which I performed CPR on an individual.” Scott can do it all! I also asked which sport causes the most injuries. Scott says it depends on the year and the players. He explained that during some years, teams are more injury prone than others, and the next year it could change. I found this very interesting, considering that many athletes are on a team for all four years of high school. One year the team may have many injuries while the next they have fewer, with many of the same players. 

I also asked Scott what his favorite part of being a trainer was. I think his response will make many athletes very happy. “I like being around athletics and the student-athletes and teams. I enjoy seeing a student-athlete recover from an injury, whether it be a significant injury or maybe a simple sprain and get back onto the field or court.” As someone who is at the end of their recovery journey, Scott has been there for me since I got hurt. He was there the very next day after my injury to ask how I was. He acts as a voice of reason at times and can tell you you’re ready to get back into the game. I also asked Scott what his favorite sport to watch was. “I get asked this a lot. I really don’t have a favorite sport. For me, it has to do more with the atmosphere of the team and students, which can change season to season and year to year.”