Building Up
Affectionately called “Mom” by her lacrosse teammates, Hallie Gehring has always had a desire to be a support for those around her. Whether that is her teammates, her friends, or the athletes she will someday work with as an athletic trainer, Hallie wants to develop those strong relationships and, through that build people up, especially in her future career in athletic training.
“One of the things we talk about in classes is having a good rapport with the athletes you are working with. I feel I very much have a mom instinct to take care of everybody and protect them and do all that I can for them, and that is what is going to happen with athletes under my care.”
Growing up, Hallie always gravitated towards teaching, even though her mom had majored in sports medicine. It wasn’t until she took a sports medicine class that athletic training began to click with her. Hallie can see herself landing anywhere from a professional sports team to a high school athletic trainer after graduating. Regardless where she lands, she is excited about the type of work she will be doing while teaching and supporting athletes.
“My senior year of high school, I took a sports med class, just to see what my mom studied. I immediately realized this was for me, and I fell in love with it. I like hands-on stuff, and in the medical field, especially in athletics, you are constantly doing that type of work.”
Lacrosse has been a significant chapter in Hallie’s life. After stepping away from dance, Hallie found herself joining her high school lacrosse team after a friend persuaded her. She immediately fell in love with the sport and resonated with the fact that it was still a growing program. Being part of building a team and its culture was a main reason for Hallie’s decision to come to Midland’s growing program. She believes developing strong relationships is key to any program’s success, and it is something she is passionate about being a part of.
“I think there has to be a relationship on and off the field. You can’t trust each other if you don’t know each other. I’ve always loved hanging out with the girls on any team I’ve been a part of, whether it was dance, high school lacrosse, or now Midland lacrosse, and having that relationship with them. Because you go through so much physically, mentally, and emotionally with everything that happens, having that relationship adds that extra factor because we are all working for each other.”
Hallie has also developed a passion for music. During the time between dance and lacrosse, Hallie fell into music, picking up guitar and songwriting. Hallie uses her music to bring people together and help them get through tough times, but it also serves as an outlet for her as well. Hallie encourages everyone to find that outlet, especially when taking on leadership roles.
“I am one of those people that bottles up emotion, and it just sits. Without an outlet, that becomes almost corrosive. It becomes really hard for you to have those good relationships with people and live life in a positive and happy way if you are just holding onto all of those negative feelings inside. For me, being able just to belt it out, get rid of it, and probably end up crying at the end is a really good way for me to work through this feeling that I had and move on to the next one.”
Hallie Gehring is a freshman athletic training major from Pleasant Grove, Utah. To share your story or nominate a friend, email social@midlandu.edu or post using #FacesofMidland.
