Shota Sato and Seattle Mariners' athletic trainers walk on the field

North Central News

Shota Sato ’19 hits a grand slam with Seattle Mariners athletic training internship

May 08, 2019

While most Major League Baseball fans had to settle for checking the scores of spring training games online, one North Central student spent spring break in the athletic training rooms and on the field in Arizona. An international student from Kobe, Japan and an athletic training major, Shota Sato ’19 scored a 10-day internship with the Seattle Mariners through the Japan Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (JBATS).

What made you want to study athletic training?

The origin of my interest in sports medicine goes back to what happened in junior high school. I was a student-athlete on the track team. One day, my head coach brought a Judo therapist who treated damaged bones, joints, muscles and soft tissue based on Japanese traditional medicine to practice. After learning more about body mechanism and manual therapy, I became interested in healthcare. Since the United States is on the cutting edge of research in sports medicine, I decided to study abroad and pursue my dream of becoming a sports therapist. Then, I encountered the field of athletic training in the process.

How did you hear about the JBATS internship opportunity?

I received an email from Kendall Selsky, assistant professor of kinesiology and program director for athletic training at North Central, informing me of a short-term MLB internship opportunity for Japanese athletic training students. Since I was interested in working in that professional setting for my career, I immediately applied for the internship.

What were your responsibilities while working with the Mariners?

I was expected to arrive in the athletic training room before practices and stay with the team until post-game treatments were completed and assist with the treatments before and after the event. I also traveled to and from games with the team, monitoring athletes’ intake of water or sports drinks to maintain proper hydration, observe the evaluation and rehabilitation of any new injury and help maintain the athletic training room and equipment used during practices and games. I was also encouraged to ask questions about anything related to the athletic training services.

Athletic trainers in the athletic training room with players.

Shota Sato '19 (right) spends time with players and professionals in the athletic training room.

Do you have a favorite baseball team?

I'm a huge baseball fan, especially Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)! I check the NPB game results and watch highlights during my everyday routine. My favorite team? That's a good question—my favorite team in NPB is definitely my local team, the Orix Buffaloes. I honestly don't have any favorite teams in MLB yet. I really want to go to a Chicago Cubs game though.

What are some of your favorite moments from the internship?

One of my favorite memories was when I accidentally caught a sharp foul ball barehanded during a game. Aside from that, it was such a great opportunity to make connections not only with the staff of the Mariners but also with the other participants in the internship program. Some of them are athletic training students from other colleges or universities in the United States, and some of them are students and physical therapists who came all the way from Japan for this internship. We had endless conversations every night during dinner sharing industry information and techniques.

Did you meet any baseball players that you admire?

I met Ichiro Suzuki, Japanese baseball legend who accumulated 4,257 hits throughout his career—setting a record across all professional leagues in baseball history. He played for 20 years, and I was happy to see him again before he retired at the end of this spring training during an exhibition game in Japan. I have respect for how he embraces many challenges and hardships.

How do you see this clinical experience helping you with your future career goals?

My goal is to cultivate skills of inspection, palpation and master manual therapy. A picture was worth a thousand words: seeing athletic training in a professional setting through this internship helped determine my specialty.

Due to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the Commission on Athletic Training Education’s decision to elevate the professional degree of athletic training to the master’s level, North Central is no longer accepting students into the undergraduate athletic training program. Students interested in pursuing the Master of Athletic Training degree should contact Dr. Kendall Selsky, Program Director for Athletic Training at klselsky@noctrl.edu for more information.

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