SLU AT Student Spends a Summer with the Sixers

Summer Internship Blog Post - Philadelphia 76ers Basketball Camps

By: Emily Costabile (MAT Class of 2015)

This summer, I had the opportunity to work for the Philadelphia 76ers as their summer basketball camp athletic training intern.  The 76ers camp brings in kids from all over the world.  Representing 20 different countries, kids ages 8-18 can come for weeks at a time to gain experience playing basketball.  From 8am-9pm the kids participate in a variety of basketball activities, from playing full court games to knock-out competitions.  I have been working under the direction of Caitlin Murphy, ATC, alongside five other athletic training interns.  Caitlin is a graduate of Ithica College in Ithica, NY and is currently in grad school working towards her DPT. 

Emily Costabile and Caitlin Murphy ATC

The camp is held on Valley Forge Military Academy and College’s campus.  There are twelve different courts the campers play on, and our job is to sit at each of the set of courts and respond to whatever injury may occur during competitions.  We have seen a large variety of injuries in the past 4 weeks of camp, all ranging in severity.  I have even had the opportunity to accompany some of the campers to the hospital as well as visits to an orthopedics office.  

This experience with the 76ers has given me great insight into the different settings I could potentially practice in down the road.  It has allowed me to practice skills I previously had as well as develop a whole set of new ones.  Working with athletic training students from five different schools has also given me a chance to see how others practice and what techniques they find useful.  The experience I have had here has been invaluable and I am grateful to the kids and staff for helping make this summer one I will never forget.  

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program have a required internship in the summer between their two professional years in the program. This blog post details a student's reflection on their internship experience.