March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the vital contributions, achievements, and sacrifices of women in our communities. While some have already cemented their legacies, others continue to lay the groundwork and blueprint for the next generation.
The Peekskill Herald is proud to spotlight Women Who Champion Our Champions, a series highlighting the individuals working behind the scenes in local athletics.
Peekskill Herald (PH) > In your everyday life, what is the thing that inspires you?
Margaret (Meg) Greiner > I have been a secondary athletic trainer for the past 29 years and the athletic trainer at Hen Hud for 25 years and the athletes have always inspired me. From the most talented superstar to the athlete who decides to try a sport for the first time. Seeing athletes play the sport(s) they love and give everything they have on the field reminds me of why I wanted to be an athletic trainer. Playing sports was a huge part of my high school career and I have enjoyed continuing to be a part of sports by caring for the athletes at Hen Hud.
PH > What brings you the most joy?
Meg Greiner > At work, I find joy on the faces of my athletes. Being a part of their high school athletic career, whether it was helping them return from an injury, having them stop by my office to say hi and talk about their day, or cheering them on from the sideline, is why I choose this career, which after 25 years, still brings me joy.
PH > What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Meg Greiner > I think that the best advice I ever got was to always do what’s best for my athletes. It doesn’t matter if it is the star quarterback or the 6th singles tennis player, it is my job to keep them safe while they are playing and to always have their best interests in mind.
PH > What advice would you give that you believe is key?
Meg Greiner > There is a lot of advice I could give but I think the most important is “Athletes don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. Athletes are just trying to play the sport they love and showing them that you care about them both physically and mentally will go a long way to them trusting you.
PH > What legacy do you want to leave behind?
Meg Greiner > When my career is over, I want to be remembered as an athletic trainer who cared for the athletes both on and off the field. I want athletes to look back on their athletic careers and say I remember my athletic trainer because she took care of me when I got hurt and helped me get back to playing. I want to be remembered for the passion I had for caring for my athletes mental health and for bringing mental health awareness to my athletes, school, and community through foundations like 15 for Life, Morgan’s Message, and the Harris project to name a few. I want to be remembered for providing a safe environment so that they could thrive, both physically and mentally. Today’s high school athletes are asked to balance so much more than the athletes that came before them: higher academic expectations, a world where what they read on social media becomes their standard, an ever changing society full of issues that didn’t seem to exist 30 years ago. I want to hope that while they were an athlete at Hen Hud, they can say that I provided them with great injury care, emotional support if they needed it and I was someone who they could trust and maybe steered some of them to want to be an athletic trainer. That would be the legacy I would want to leave behind.
