Hey everyone, my name is Jenna Fredericks and I am the intern for sports medicine in Lake Placid. I am a New Yorker, born and raised, so I didn’t have much getting used to in Lake Placid as far as the weather and small town atmosphere. The Lake Placid OTC is like a small family in it of itself because we all work in one building. Everyone sees each other basically everyday and everyone knows who you are and what your name is. It’s definitely nice to be known as Jenna, instead of “what’s her name, the intern in sports med.” Everyone is very nice and helpful, and it certainly makes the days go by much smoother.

My basic duties on a day-to-day basis consist of entering any new medical information and HIPAA’s into the database, keeping the schedules of our athletic trainers, greeting and assisting any athletes or personnel that come into sports med and maintaining and running the Recovery Center. Every week seems to be different, depending on the activities that are going on in Lake Placid.

Thus far in 2010, we have hosted a World Cup (skiing), US Championships (skiing) and America’s Cup (bobsled/skeleton). We also host many camps and smaller based competitions in between. Needless to say, these events keep sports med on their toes because there is always someone who doesn’t make it down the hill or track smoothly. I have seen enough bruises and sprains to last me awhile. But that’s the nature of an elite athlete; no pain, no gain.

It was great working for the USOC during the Olympics in February, because no other work place actually encourages you to watch TV and the Olympics during work. A few of the Olympians returned to Lake Placid after the games and we were fortunate enough to see Justin Olsen’s (4-man bobsled) Gold Medal and Elana Meyer’s (Women’s bobsled) Bronze Medal. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience to actually see and hold an Olympic Medal.
As my time here comes to an end, I can truly walk away knowing that I did my best and tried my hardest to make sports med run smoothly. I have enjoyed my experience and the opportunity to meet so many great people. This experience has without a doubt given me tools and knowledge that will help me in my future endeavors, and I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity.