Weston Bucher is North High’s Athletic Trainer and most athletes and coaches know him as Wes. Wes has been the trainer at North since January 8, 2001. This was his first job straight out of college and he has been with North ever since.

Wes grew up in Douglas, Kansas and still resides there today. In his junior year at Butler College, he decided that he wanted to be a athletic trainer and commit to it.

Wes truly enjoys being an athletic trainer and he talks about what made him get into the trainer field of work.

” I like hands on work so the combination of working hands on and plus the health and medical aspect of it. Also being able to help people in general and just helping athletes cause I like sports, so it was a natural thing that lead me too it,” he said.

Wes has always been an school trainer so he reflected on the thought of maybe becoming a professional athletic trainer. ” When I was in college I thought about it, but it takes a lot of time and volunteer work to reach that level. I’m close to my family so with that its kind of kept me here and I enjoy staying local and just helping those around me.”

Connecting with the student athletics is a major part of being the athletic trainer and Wes speaks about being able to do that. ” It’s my whole job to communicate with the athletics and hopefully get to a point where they trust me with their injures to where they let me evaluate them and help guide them through the injury process and getting them back onto the field or court.”

How to become a trainer is a question heard a lot in the trainers room and Wes mentions how students go about finding out that information. ” Many students ask my WSU students about their classes and their schooling since they are the ones in the process of becoming one,” he said.

Wes treats many athletics and he expresses his favorite part about helping the injured athletics. ” Seeing them come back from injures. When you have someone come back from like an ACL tear, it takes time to heal and helping them through that process and getting to see them come back a year later and have a successful season is pretty cool.”

Wes has continued to help student athletics here at North for over 20 years and still counting.

Athletic Director Tony Douglas said that having Wes has been nothing but beneficial to the athletic department.

“Wes is the most valuable person besides the student athletics in the athletic program, he checks injuries, follows medical protocols, his role is vital in keeping our students athletics healthy and safe. Wes is also the best in town!”