Lehi People
Lehi High athletic trainer retires after 16 years of service
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
Longtime Lehi High School athletic trainer Janice Bentley has stepped away from the sidelines but will still support students in the classroom. After 16 years, Bentley has retired from the trainer position but is keeping her teaching job.
“I loved what I did, but it’s getting harder to cover all of the sports all of the time. I needed more work-life balance,” Bentley told the Lehi Free Press.
A typical day for Bentley as Lehi’s only athletic trainer on staff included teaching health and science classes in the morning. After lunch she would be in the training room giving student-athletes evaluations and treatments. She spent the late afternoons and evenings at practices and games until those finished, sometimes late into the night.
“I covered all the practice and games that were on campus, cheer and drill included, and traveled with the varsity football team to away games and traveled with other teams to playoff games.
“I was keeping an eye on the athletes, communicating with parents, coaches and doctors, and occasionally hosting a movie in the training room before a game started. It was busy days filled with lots of different things,” Bentley said.
She said her favorite parts of the job were supporting students and feeling like a part of the Lehi community. “It’s the relationships. You don’t know the impact you’re having on people in the moment, but you see them five years later in the grocery store and they say, ‘Remember when?’” Bentley said.
“We have a lot more influence on people than we think. It’s the long game. We might not see the effect right then, but it’s there.”
Growing up, Bentley was a gymnast and had a lot of injuries, especially in high school. The treatments she received sparked her interest in athletic training.
“I was introduced to it by a high school class. I got into the program at the University of Utah and after two years of athletic training I thought ‘This is my dream job!’”
Upon graduation, Bentley went to work at Orrock Mendenhall Physical Therapy, where she was contracted out as an athletic trainer to Lehi High School. Eventually she left the clinic to become a full-time athletic trainer and teacher at Lehi High School.
“I love being around sports. I like being involved behind the scenes. I like being able to help injured students get healthy and be able to play again. I like to see them overcome and be successful and I like being part of that,” she said.
Over the years, Bentley has grown to love the Lehi community and is happy to still be a part of it as she continues teaching 10th-grade health, medical terminology, introduction to health sciences and sports medicine.
“The big thing about Lehi is that it’s such a close-knit community. Despite it being so big, it’s still got a small-town feel. You build relationships and they stick. There are people who don’t have any kids at Lehi High School anymore who still support them and come to the games,” said Bentley.
“Being at Lehi has created a second family for me with the students, their families, and the coaches. We’ve had amazing coaches at Lehi. It’s a really good community,” she concluded
