HILO, Hawai'i – The best ability is availability, and for Vulcans student-athletes, it starts with the Hawai'i Hilo Sports Medicine team.
Wear and tear, injuries, recovery and rehabilitation are all common of the athlete experience, and it all happens thanks to the countless hours of service from athletic trainers.
Kensei Gibbs has been working with Vulcans student-athletes since 2012 as part of his 20-plus-years career spanning stops at Campbell University, Boise State, University of Washington, University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Auburn University.
Kelsie Espiritu-Tanabe joined on in 2021 shortly after finishing with a bachelor's in Kinesiology & Exercise Sciences from Hawai'i Hilo two years prior.
Being located on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean brings on a multitude of challenges uncommon to many athletics programs across the country and in the NCAA Division II, especially when needing to travel by airplane for every road contest.
In addition to providing utmost time and effort, Gibbs — who has been Head Athletic Trainer since 2016 — has poured in additional resources for restocking necessary equipment year after year to tend to both Vulcans student-athletes and visiting teams competing at UH Hilo.
Gallery: (6-10-2023) 2023 Sports Medicine Golf Fundraiser
Hawai'i Hilo Sports Medicine held its annual fundraiser golf event in early June at the Waikoloa Village Course.
Along with assistance this past year from part-time athletic trainers Jake Rolbiecki and Mark Samonsky, Hawai'i Hilo has also received generous support from the local Hilo medical community.
In the coming weeks, nearly 250 student-athletes across the Vulcans' 12 sports will arrive to campus to complete preseason physical exams. The screenings are split across two days and couldn't be possible without volunteer-help from physicians, physical therapists, nurses and other healthcare personnel.
What used to be a seemingly endless process with just two doctors on hand has now become a manageable endeavor thanks to the community support.
