***This article was written by Jacie Hinton, a participant in The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.

Student-athletes across the country face two types of pressure continuously: To do well in school and perform at their best in their particular sport. When injury strikes, however, those priorities become the least of their worries. That’s where Emma Corkill, Kewanee High School’s athletic trainer and a registered nurse, comes in.

Corkill’s journey to KHS was relatively short. She grew up only 11 miles away in Galva, where she attended elementary and high school and participated in athletics. It was also at Galva that her dream of becoming an athletic trainer began.

“When I was in high school during my sophomore year, I got hurt during the basketball season. It was our first year having [Katie Gavin] as an athletic trainer at the high school, so I spent a lot of time working with her to get back to the game, and it made me realize how important she was” said Corkill.

Working with Gavin, a former KHS graduate, sparked her interest, and she went on to assist Gavin in working with the football team during her junior and senior year.

After graduating from Galva, Corkill received a double bachelor’s degree in athletic training and kinesiology at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Before helping heal the Boilers, Corkill worked in Champaign at Carle Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

In Dec. 2022, Corkill made the move to Kewanee and joined the OSF Saint Luke’s Medical Center.

“What drew me to this facility and area was growing up here,” said Corkill. “Growing up in Galva, I knew of Kewanee athletics all my life.”

Through Saint Luke’s Medical Center, Corkill has the job of athletic training at Kewanee High School. This partnership is run through a OSF community outreach program. Corkill’s job includes attending all practices and home games and even some away games.

The most rewarding part of Corkill’s job is when she gets to help an athlete get back to the game. She says she loves to see her athletes “push themselves more than they did prior to injury.”

Corkill loves watching KHS games as well. She is energized by the environment of Boiler athletics.

“The support that the community brings, it’s a cool thing to see. . . . everyone out on a Friday night at a football game or the stands packed for a basketball game.”

Corkill is extremely passionate for Kewanee’s football, basketball and wrestling programs.

“Overall, the coaches and the athletes make my job very fun,” Corkill said.

One of Corkills favorite things about her first year at KHS has been the summer weightlifting program.

“I was able to program for all of the summer athletes with the help of Coach Taylor,” who helped Corkill run the weight room every day. Together, the pair organized a combine test day to track all the athlete’s measurements to see their growth.

“I think it’s made a difference in a lot of our female athletes specifically, and it shows all of their effort they put in in the weight room can also translate to the field, or court, or mat,” Corkill said.

Every day at 2:32 p.m., kids are always waiting outside her office. Whether kids come by to ask for rehab or just to say “hey,” Corkill says she always has “ an open door.” She also noted that while kids have a lot of fun with her, serious conversations have to happen, too. In the year that she has been here, she said, “I have been able to form really good relationships with all of my athletes.”

Heading into her second year, Corkill hopes to build a student athletic training program that will help students interested in her field “dive right in” and discover what it’s all about. She would love to see kids learning how to tape, apply different rehabilitation techniques, and even getting CPR certified would be a great opportunity for them.

“It’s really important for high school students to get involved within their school district,” she said.