Photo by Chase Manson ’16 – Dec. 9, Arika Cozzi tapes the ankle of Brandon Theodorou ’17 after school before a soccer game at BSC. Arika Cozzi is the assistant athletic trainer to Mr. Chris White.
By Chase Manson ’16
THE ROUNDUP
Brophy’s Sports Medicine Department gained a new assistant athletic trainer last year with Ms. Arika Cozzi.
“My main duty is to provide medical care to all Brophy athletes,” Cozzi said. “I work under the supervision of Mr. Chris White.”
Cozzi’s duties include ankle taping, providing water for different sports team and assessing injuries when they arise. Also she primarily aids the football and soccer teams.
“I am here all the time,” she said. “We all do a ton of work.”
Cole Becker ’16, a varsity football player, has nothing but high praise for Cozzi.
“She is always here for us,” he said. “She wants to do well athletically but also make sure we play safe and healthy.”
Cozzi hails from Chicago and is currently obtaining her master degree through A.T. Still University in Mesa.
“I attended North Central College and studied athletic training,” she said. “I now attend A.T. Still University and am studying for my masters degree in athletic training.”
Cozzi’s interest in athletic training started when she was younger as she would go with her mom to work.
“My mother was an athletic trainer and she would always take us to work,” she said. “I was also always very good at science, I loved it.”
Cozzi later found out about Brophy at school as she is required to get field experience.
“I got assigned a phone interviewer and I told him I wanted to get a good experience,” Cozzi said. “So far it has been great.”
Originally, she was very nervous about her new job.
“I found out in May of 2013,” Cozzi said. “I was a little nervous as it is an all boys school but I adjusted to it.”
Now, as Cozzi enters into her final year in her masters program and at Brophy she said she believes her experience has been very beneficial.
“Professionally, I have found a new confidence,” she said. “I have been able to handle emergencies with more ease.”
Cozzi attributes her success to Mr. White, the head athletic trainer on campus.
“He is very approachable and helpful,” she said. “He is always looking out for us.”
Mr. White said he has been very happy with Cozzi’s performance.
“She is clinically competent and very up beat,” he said. “She enjoys working and as time has progressed she is fully confident in her abilities.”
Mr. White also added that the experience has been beneficial for the both of them.
“With our graduate program that we do here, we both learn,” he said. “I have learned a lot of the new techniques from her and I can impart on her experience and firsthand knowledge.”
Anthony Gutierrez ’15, who worked under Cozzi for Sport Medicine, said she is very hardworking and caring.
“She is extremely hardworking and she gets down to work,” he said. “She is very kind and when she is talking to you she calculates what she wants to say and she understands who you are and how to respond.”
As Cozzi’s tenure at Brophy comes to end this year she hopes to go into Sport Medicine education.
“I really want to go into education thanks to Mr. White,” she said. “I would love to stay here at Brophy and Arizona but there are a lot of opportunities back at home.”
