Malia Murphy has been the athletic trainer here at Blackburn for the last four years, but as of Thursday, Sept. 28, she has been replaced by Abby Maurer. Murphy is now employed at Futaba of Indiana in Vincennes. “It’s a welding site, and I’ll be doing more injury prevention. If something happens, I’ll be there, but it’s mostly fitting the job to the employee. It’s to learn new things and challenge myself more after being here for four years and working in this field for 12 years,” said Murphy.
When asked why she’s leaving, she had nothing bad to say about the school, but she felt stuck and on a plateau from doing the same thing for so long. “I feel like I’m not learning as much as I did before. In industrial, its the opposite of what I’ve been doing. There’s also longevity because there’s a better balance between my work life and my personal life,” said Murphy. She has always wanted to work in the industrial half of training, but the opportunity never arose until now.
Being an employee at a work college can be an eye opening experience, exposing one to new ideas and possibilities. Having to supervise workers was something new to Murphy, because she was used to working with only one student at a time. She also had to learn to be more self-sufficient since she was the only trainer here. The student workers were very helpful in her opinion, though. “The student workers have been the best part of this job and it’s what I’m going to miss the most. I would love to keep them wherever I go,” said Murphy.
Murphy said, “I want the new trainer to stand for what she believes and stand her ground. Be adaptable as well, and remain tough and stand up for what’s right for the athletes. Find different ways to work, especially with the student workers because they are all so different.” She offered suggestions as to what she would like to see change in the future. Her main point was to hire another trainer to ensure trainers stay here for longer periods of time: “With the amount of work required with this job, it is very necessary.” She also would like to either maintain the number of student workers or increase them if there is another trainer added to the staff.
Murphy will always be a valued member of the Blackburn training staff, and she will be missed by all of the athletes on campus.