Every fall for the past 18 years, Jason Miller has been on the sidelines of a football game in Columbus and Lowndes County.

While some may know Miller from his work with Elite Physical Therapy, many will recognize him as a licensed athletic trainer on the sidelines at ballgames across the county. His job is to utilize his knowledge on the fly, assisting with injuries, assessing the severity and diagnosing subsequent actions and treatment required in the moment.

Miller has worked on contracts with Columbus Municipal School District, Lowndes County School District, Monroe County schools and Heritage Academy. He was also previously the Head Athletic Trainer for Mississippi University for Women.

The experience has made him a familiar face for athletes, parents and coaches in the area, and it has helped him build trust within the community as a reliable helping hand.

“One of the things I’ve learned is always build relationships with people, and what that’s done is I have people that will call me all the time, like, ‘Hey, I need to come see my kid.’ ‘Hey, can you see this person?’” Miller said of the connections he’s made through his work.
“All these different things are just being a part of and investing in a community. If it’s through athletics and being at ball games, or simply being there for somebody when they need something.”

That ability to help someone on the fly has stakes beyond the game. Miller recognizes that, particularly for a sport like football, where injuries could happen at any moment from the level of physicality and contact.

Miller and his team try to cover as many schools a week as they can, making themselves available in case of a need for injuries during practice and training as well. During football season, they’ll travel with teams if they know a trainer isn’t available at the host site, and though they get spread a bit thin, it’s the kind of work that makes them an asset.

For Miller, it’s where the love of the game comes in.

“Being on the field is probably my favorite because you have to be able to make split-second decisions,” Miller said. “I have to be ready to know, ‘OK, this person needs this. What am I going to do to get them what they need? Or is it an emergency?’”

If the situation is more serious and beyond what Miller can do on-site, he has to take the lead in arranging for the next steps. In an emergency, an ambulance is needed, but sometimes a bad injury needs a specialist appointment, and Miller needs to know who to call in those situations, too.

“That’s what I tell our parents. It’s kind of an assurance,” he said. “Like, I know y’all want to see a doctor. I can get them in to see this doctor probably tomorrow morning. Let me make a text or a phone call and see where they’re at. It gives another sense of just relaxation for the mom or dad that we can get this taken care of quickly.”

New Hope football head coach Allen Glenn, a proponent of all schools having an athletic trainer, praised Miller in particular for his availability to the area schools and his work with the Trojans this season.

“The life of a head coach with a good athletic trainer becomes a lot easier,” Glenn said. “Jason loves what he does, and having somebody there who cares for the kids and cares for the programs is very important. Having him available daily to take care of our kids is something I wish all schools could have. It’s important from a wellness standpoint and a mental standpoint knowing that you’ve got a trainer there to help out.”

Glenn and Miller both noted an increased awareness from players about wellness, whether it’s in nutrition or maintaining their bodies. That has led to interest in the career from some student athletes, including Heritage Academy senior Kaden Avery.

Avery plays baseball and soccer for the Patriots, and while he has always had a love for sports, he picked up a new passion during his own recovery from an injury. That experience gave him a close-up view of a career he is now hoping to create a path in.

Once a patient, Avery is now a student intern at Elite PT, shadowing and assisting Miller, and he plans to study kinesiology at Mississippi College.

“In my sophomore year, I fractured my elbow and I came here for PT,” Avery said. “I knew I wanted to be around sports, then I met Jason and I thought what he does is something I may want to do, something where I can help people.”

Avery’s interest reflects a pattern Miller has seen in kids. There isn’t just an interest in solving injury problems as they come, but an interest in wellness beyond their sports and rehabilitation. For him, that’s a part of the job as well.

“Ultimately for me, it’s not just how they’re taken care of in high school,” Miller said, “it’s how do they take care of themselves after they leave high school or after they leave the sport so that they’re healthier people down the road, and that they can be better people down the road.”