Everyday heroes: Bringing athletic training to southeast Oklahoma
Sep. 30—Mike Baker's love of athletics and sense of service to his community led him down a path that has helped change the landscape of sports medicine in southeast Oklahoma.
Baker is a 1988 McAlester High School graduate. After high school, he continued his athletic career and played college baseball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Following his time at NEO, he attended the University of Oklahoma and East Central University, earning his degree in athletic training in 1993.
Baker returned home to McAlester later that year, where he helped establish the sports medicine outreach program at McAlester Regional Health Center — and he's been a staple on the sidelines ever since.
"Back in the day, I worked as an aide in physical therapy. I liked athletics, and the combination of therapy and athletics kind of led me to the profession of athletic training," Baker said.
According to Baker, the athletic training world that people know today was nothing like what he saw as an athlete three decades ago.
"We had a physician that took care of us locally, and I always liked what he did. He took (good) care of us," he said. "But the combination of helping athletes and being involved in sports is what kind of gave me that direction to take."
For years, it was Baker handling those duties as the only certified athletic trainer — for many seasons, he was the only athletic trainer in southeast Oklahoma. But as the years passed, another local former athlete began pursuing a career of his own.
Jonathan Herrick is a 2016 McAlester graduate, attending Northeastern State University and later Oklahoma State University after high school, earning his degree in athletic training. Herrick made his way back to his hometown to serve Buffalo athletics and schools around the area, starting his third year this season.
He said he knew after high school he wanted to seek out a medical degree of some sort, and found an inspiration for his own career path on the sidelines at Hook Eales Stadium.
"I enjoyed being around sports, and I knew Baker had taken care of us in high school," he said. "And so I kind of put the two together and found my way towards a (certified) athletic training degree."
Baker said the last 30 years have been special to him, and has been his way to give back to his community.
"It's nice to give back to where you grew up, and to the people that took care of you growing up," he said. "And on the therapy side of it, I was able to take care of a lot of people that took care of me, so to speak. And to give back to our community.
"I hold a lot of pride in that," Baker continued. "You go into health care to take care of people and help people. I have a lot of pride in that, and it just made me want to come back and give back to the community I grew up in."
Baker said he's been doing this so long, that he's starting to see the children and grandchildren of people that he assisted years previously. But the work he and Herrick do isn't just limited to athletes, but all people in the surrounding communities.
"From the general public to teachers and administrators, even other healthcare professionals," Herrick said.
"That's big. That's kind of the reason I came back," Baker added.
The duo of Baker and Herrick help serve 14 high schools in more than four counties, as well as Eastern Oklahoma State College. And because of rural Oklahoma's challenges to access to healthcare, many schools and programs are able to call in and seek the resources and assistance the outreach program provides.
"That was the big reason of hiring Jonathan," Baker said. "I would go by to Kiowa, or Savanna, or Wilburton once a week or maybe more if they called on me...but at least with us and the hospital allowing us — and that's a big key, because you don't see a whole lot of hospitals, especially at this level, that hire athletic trainers or appreciate what we do — to go out and be able to hire (Herrick) and place him at (small schools)."
"Rural Oklahoma, they don't get the luxury of being around Tulsa or Oklahoma City where they may have two or three (athletic trainers) at a 6A school," Herrick said. "We try to give the best we can...it's just really nice to give back to the community that continues to support us."
On game nights, you can usually spot the certified athletic trainers roaming the sidelines, taking in each and every moment of the action — and being ready to jump in at a moment's notice as the first response to an injury.
Baker pointed to a recent example during a McAlester football game Sept. 1, when Jaydden Holman suffered a leg fracture in the fourth quarter. Baker immediately jumped into action to assess the situation and alert the EMTs on standby, helping administer crucial triage. Thanks to the quick action, Holman was at the hospital within 20 minutes of his injury and receiving medical care.
"That's part of what we do. It can even be as serious as someone breaking their neck," Baker said. "We acted quick, and he was in the hospital within the next 15 to 20 minutes."
The world of certified athletic training has expanded over recent years, and continues to play a pivotal role in keeping athletes safe and healthy. And Baker credited MRHC, Shawn Howard, Dr. Patrick Gannon, and the entire healthcare team at the hospital for seeing the need for the certified athletic training program to help serve southeast Oklahoma.
"They know what we do, and they deserve the credit for allowing us to be a part of their team here at MRHC to provide this for the community," Baker said. "Because it's big. It's bigger than what a lot of people think."
