‘She’s like their favorite aunt’

Airedales’ players, coaches thankful for veteran athletic trainer Patti Webb

By Kevin Taylor

Alma Schools

There’s no such thing as a 9-to-5 day for Patti Anne Webb. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But long hours aren’t always meant to be hard days.

“My schedule is never the same as the day before,” Webb said. “Sometimes, they are 12 to 14-hour days.”

Last week, Webb trundled through the warm spring air between the baseball field, softball diamond, and Citizens Bank Field at Airedale Stadium, keeping one eye on three sports - all with rhythm and purpose.

“Today, I didn’t come in until 9:30, but we won’t be done tonight until 10 o’clock,” Webb said. “We always have multiple teams going, and that’s where my athletic trainers are split up, and they can be with those teams. If someone gets injured, then I can go to that game. They’re (trainers) really good about taking care of athletes.”

March is National Athletic Training Month (NATM), held annually to raise awareness of the crucial work athletic trainers put in to keep players and coaches safe.

“I think what makes Patti so special, and beyond, is the relationship she has with kids,” Alma High School principal Brian Kirkendoll said. “She’s like their favorite aunt. She has a passion for kids, and it’s the relationships she has with kids that stand out — they want to be around her.”

Webb is finishing up her 14th year as Alma’s athletic trainer, the school’s third since 2000, following in the footsteps of the late Mike Blaylock and Rae Tribble (Collins).

“I never thought I would be here in Alma, but God put me where he was supposed to,” Webb said. “I thought I would be with a college. I was in Mississippi for eight years, but I had to move back here to take care of my dad.”

A Van Buren native, Webb oversees between “12 to 13” student trainers, who have designated assignments. Some, like senior Kailee Gwinn, may spend four to five months taking care of basketball players.

And, unlike most Alma High School trainers, Gwinn will finish her athletic training career with just two years of experience.

“She came in two years ago,” Webb said. “The first year, she did Winter Guard, but the last two years she’s done an amazing job. She’s our one senior, so I kind of put them (seniors) in charge to see what they can do, so that when they get to college, they have a good idea of what they are doing.”

Gwinn isn’t sure her future involves taping ankles for basketball players.

“She means a lot to this school, and she means a lot to me,” Gwinn said. “I’ve thought about becoming a trainer, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

At least five former student trainers have followed Webb into the athletic training and medical profession.

“Of course, Jordan (Qualls) is at Van Buren, and Bailey (Hays) worked with Arkansas basketball when he was at the University of Arkansas, but now he’s in the medical field,” Webb said. “Zoie McGhee is at UCA to become a trainer. I think all she lacks is her certification.”

“Ms. Patti cares deeply for her athletes and cares for their mental well-being, also,” first-year Alma boys basketball coach Cody Vaught said. “Anytime I have an injury with a player, I know she will not only diagnose the problem, but will give them the best medical attention available. She also does things like schedule physicals and make sure players are eligible on our Dragonfly lists, which is extremely hard work.

“She has truly dedicated her life to caring for student-athletes.”

Doin Dahlke

What Webb is to Gwinn and others, Doin Dahlke was to Webb back at Arkansas Tech.

“He was the athletic trainer when I was at Arkansas Tech,” Webb said. “He’s been out for a while, but he still helps athletic trainers everywhere. He was a huge mentor to me, and even to this day, if I have an issue or a question, I’ll text him.”

Decades after graduating from Arkansas Tech, Webb is giving back.

“She taught us how to do CPR, and that’s a real big deal,” Gwinn said. “What do you do in a situation if someone passes out? And she’s taught us life skills, too.”

Webb spent eight years at Mississippi College before wanting to return to Crawford County to get closer to family. As it turned out, former Alma trainer Rae Tribble (Collins) was pregnant with her first child and needed a long-term sub.

“When I moved back, she (Collins) was pregnant, and she needed somebody to be in her place while she was pregnant, and right after that, her husband (Greg) got a coaching job at Western Kentucky,” Webb said. “She was getting ready to leave, and she said, 'You need to apply,’ and Mr. (Jerry) Valentine hired me.”

‘Is Patti in?’

That’s a phrase murmured by a plethora of athletes, past and present; coaches, too.

Last week, after throwing 111 pitches against Russellville, a sore Logan English slumbered into Webb’s office, not far from the hardwood floor of Charles B. Dyer Arena, and within earshot of basketball coaches Vaught and Chanlee Bottoms.

Injuries happen. Webb is on alert.

“With baseball, you tend to have shoulder injuries,” Webb said. “With basketball, it’s more about taking care of their legs — anything we can do to keep them healthy. We have athletes who come in without any injuries, but we keep them healthy and on the court or field. That’s been a big change with coaches, who are letting them (athletes) come in for treatment, more so than they have in the past.”

Basketball, baseball, and soccer road trips are one thing. Football is a whole different animal.

Within minutes of showing up at Vilonia, Farmington, or wherever the Airedales are playing, Webb and her trainers move quickly, set up tables, and begin taping ankles.

“We get everything set up before games; we get everything taken care of after games, too,” Webb said. “When coach Vaught got here, he thought he had to do everything. I told him, ‘You just have to coach; that’s it.’

“That’s hard for them to learn. We take care of the coaches very well.”

“When I first arrived at Alma, I treated this area of sports the same way I had at all my other schools,” Vaught said. “I’ve coached for 18 years in 1-4A schools, and I've done it all with my coaching staff. I was amazed the first week when Ms. Patti said, ‘Cody, I handle this.’ She does so much for our sports programs.”