The Hero Behind the Scenes
By Maddie Flanagan, Sports Editor
Danielle DeLay-Smith. To some of you, this name may be unfamiliar, so let me give you a hint. Perhaps you have seen her at a football game, driving around the gator with an injured football player in tow. Perhaps she has wrapped your ankle before a game or a practice, or given you an ice pack after you got hurt. Still don’t know? How about the fabled “Trainer Danielle?” DeLay-Smith is the incredible athletic trainer at North, and in all honesty, she does not get nearly enough credit for the amazing work she does for our school. Being an athletic trainer entails much more than handing out ice packs and taping ankles.
So what does being an athletic trainer actually mean? “Emergency care, injury recognition and evaluation, referrals to physicians, rehabilitation, injury documentation, and record keeping” are just a few of the major components, says DeLay-Smith. And although driving around the gator “has its perks,” the best part of the job for her is “seeing injured athletes get back on the field.” Getting injured and having to go through the often grueling rehabilitation process is often tolling on athletes, physically and mentally. Being forced to watch your teammates play in a game while you are confined to the bench is a gut-wrenching feeling. DeLay-Smith, having been a three-sport athlete during her time at North, is completely familiar with this feeling, “having had [her] fair share of injuries” as well. DeLay-Smith’s knowledge of both the physical and mental needs of athletic injuries, as well as her ability to cater to those needs with empathy and care, make her well-equipped to handle all of the components of an athletic trainer’s obligations.
Having graduated from North in 2006, DeLay-Smith moved onto SUNY Cortland and graduated with a Master’s degree in sports medicine. “Something most people don’t know is the amount of schooling and continuing education it actually takes,” she says. In order to become a trainer, she went through six years of post secondary education in order to take her certification exam. After passing the exam, however, she had to be licensed to practice in New York State. Even after all of that, she is required to take at least 50 hours of continued education every two years, as science and what is known about medicine and the human body is constantly changing. Needless to say, DeLay-Smith is extremely well-informed and experienced, and her wide range of knowledge spans far past pre-wrap and ice packs.
Just like the rest of us, DeLay-Smith has been coping with the stresses of the pandemic. Not only is she dealing with the “mental toll of COVID-19,” but she is also expecting a baby in March (see below for update), so she has to be “extra careful” when doing her job and living her day-to-day life. To deal with these stresses, she has been “exercising, especially yoga,” which she had discovered at the start of quarantine. She also has been “cooking every night with her husband,” “video chatting with friends,” and passing time with her “one year old nephew, who lives right up the road.” So even though her job is to take care of those around her, she has to take care of herself, too!
DeLay-Smith’s innate ability to make every player as comfortable as possible, regardless of the pain or discomfort they are experiencing, is extremely remarkable and underappreciated. So, next time she tapes your ankle or whizzes past you on the gator, make sure you give her a smile and thank her for all of her hard work and dedication to the health and well-being of our student body.
Update: Danielle DeLay-Smith gave birth to a baby girl, named Riley Louise Smith, on 3/23/2021. North's newest Ram was born at 7 lbs, 10 oz and 20 inches, and both DeLay-Smith and Riley are doing well!