TOWAMENCIN – As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. After eight and a half years of working at North Penn as an athletic trainer, Leanne Edwards will embark on a new journey as she completes her final day of work this Thursday. Edwards will continue her trade at the Rothman Institute as a Concussion Patient Advocate in their Jefferson Comprehensive Concussion Clinic in the Naval Yard. There she will be helping the patients navigate all the steps from post-concussion/traumatic brain injury to recover.
Edwards was hired by North Penn in 2005 to join the athletic training staffe when Christopher Frey was the head athletic trainer. Frey stepped down in 2008 and Edwards became the new head athletic trainer.
Through her years at North Penn, it is difficult for Edwars to nail down just one moment that stands out as most memorable for her.
“My most memorable experiences – it’s hard to describe them. I have been so astounded by the depth of connection that I feel towards the coaches, athletes, parents and staff. I have seen entire families come through NP. I have watched as former athletes graduated high school and college and then become working adults. It amazes and humbles me to be a part of that. You want to know what I will miss the most? That’s it right there. I will miss those connections. My job is my job and I enjoy it – but those connections, those relationships – that’s what I love. I have learned that despite the size of this school and the sheer number of people in it – it is a community. It was my home and I was so very blessed to be a part of it. I will mourn this change, because I know how special NP really is,” said Edwards.
North Penn Athletic Direct Don Ryan sees the value in what Edwards has brought to the athletic department in her time here.
“She’s been a tremendous asset throughout her eight and a half years, and the training program has really improved over those times,” said Ryan. “She just does an overall great job. If you go in there before or after practices and you just see the crowds of people in the training room, the kids kind of congregate in there and she talks to them all.”
Athletes of all sports, injured or not, enjoy gathering in the training room simply because of the open atmosphere that the trainers create. Whether it may be an evaluation or a simple conversation Edwards is always willing to engage in communication with athletes, coaches and parents.
“Mrs. Edwards is not just North Penn’s athletic trainer. She is like family to every one of the sports teams. Mrs. Edwards is such a knowledgeable trainer, and a kid and sincere person. She will be missed by the entire student population,” said senior lacrosse player Kaitlin Suzuki.
“Mrs. Edwards will totally be missed because she is so efficient, so good at what she does. She is so knowledgeable about concussions and athletics and injuries, and she’s just a total package. We are happy for her that she is going on to bigger and better things and we will just miss her a lot. She’s very very good and she’s good with the kids, great with the coaches, she tells the coaches like it is, and tells them this is what has to be done and this is what they should or shouldn’t do and she’s very professional in every way,” added athletics secretary Linda Law.
No matter the injury or situation one can always count on Edwards to know what to do. Whether that may mean taking action directly herself or referring you to someone else who can help you, Edwards is always working in the best interest of the athletes.
“She keeps cool in a crisis; earlier [this year] we had the situation in football with Nick Muth and the serious injury that Nick had at that time and the way she worked with the doctors, the EMTs out on the field, and the follow up care that she did with Nick. Last night we had a junior varsity basketball player who suffered a seizure and she was in charge of that until the EMTs arrived, and she handled that situation very well also. She always manages to keep her cool in a crisis situation,” added Ryan.
“Mrs. Edwards has been there for me through my toughest times. She helped me battle back from an injury that I thought would end my career as a football player. She stuck through for me and helped make my senior season a year I will never forget. I will be forever thankful of how kind she is and I wish her the best in her new journey,” said senior football player Nick Muth.