As a three-sport athlete in high school, Amanda Soltis was treated by an athletic trainer at her school, as well as trainers from other schools at rival games.
“I got to know athletic trainers in high school, and became interested in that as a career,” Soltis says, noting she received care after ankle sprains playing soccer, basketball and softball. “When my athletic trainer helped me with rehab and getting back to competition, I realized how important the role was to me and other athletes.”
At various points, she was treated by Bob Snyder, a Charlotte Hungerford Hospital trainer for 40 years before retiring last June.
“He treated injuries of mine, then I got to work with him and he was a mentor, which was a cool experience,” she says.
Soltis is now an athletic trainer at Litchfield High School, where she covers practices and home games, providing any needed emergency treatment, concussion evaluation, taping and rehabilitation treatment for students playing soccer, field hockey, cross country, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball and track.
“When they are injured, I help them get back to playing. I know how much it means to them.”
“I enjoy working with student athletes, seeing them progress,” she says. “When they are injured, I help them get back to playing. I know how much it means to them.”
Beyond the courts and fields, Soltis also helps people with Parkinson’s disease at the Sullivan Senior Center in Torrington, demonstrating mobility exercises and keeping them moving and active.
The 26-year-old New Hartford resident started at Charlotte Hungerford in March 2020, initially in the Intensive Care Unit assisting during the surge of COVID-19 cases. “It was an eye-opening experience,” she says.
In the fall of 2021, she gained more experience as an athletic trainer, handling return-to-play protocols for students who tested positive for COVID and masking for indoor sports.
“I love sports. They’ve been a big part of my life,” she says. “Helping kids be able to do what they like to do, and seeing that gratification after working with them through an injury, is what I enjoy most.”