NOTE: In recognition of National Athletic Training Month, PVPanthers.com will spotlight a pair of unsung heroes for their contributions to the PVAMU Athletics Department. This is the first of those feature pieces.

PRAIRIE VIEW – If you've gone to a Prairie View A&M soccer, bowling or softball match, chances are you've seen a mama bear and you didn't know it.

Besides, the package doesn't quite match the moniker.

You see, "mama bear" in this case is PVAMU Athletic Trainer Nicole "Nikki" Briones, an affable and reserved professional that thrives in a multitude of roles, though most wouldn't classify as physically imposing. Her passion for service and her career makes her fiercely protective of those she works with, not unlike … yep, you guessed it: a Grizzly protecting her young.

"I have a warm and nurturing relationship with all my athletes," Briones said. "I am compassionate and care about the whole person, but I will also be the first to give them a gentle nudge when I think they can be better." 

Set to complete her fourth year on The Hill – and bringing more than a decade's worth of experience overall – Briones is a caretaker. She's also a confidant and a mentor, too. When the situation calls for it, she can also be a motivator and de facto coach as well. Not to mention, she is certainly an advocate for her profession and her peers. Don't get it twisted, Briones will be the first to let you know that being an athletic trainer is more than what you generally find in surplus when you look into a first aid bag.

"The profession is constantly evolving because technology is changing, education is changing, and the way clinicians think is changing," she said. "We have been and continue to have to be our greatest advocate about what athletic trainers are and what we are capable of doing. We are more than just tape and water bottles. We are advanced health care practitioners, and we are the first line of defense for athletes and other active persons."

As far as Briones is concerned, it's just a part of being the "mama bear" that her student-athletes have come to know and adore. It's a moniker she takes pride in, and it has helped her become the trainer she is today.

"I realized this was something special …"

"So what do you want to do with your life?"

It's a question that many of us have been asked at various points in our existence, typically on the heels of a major transition period such as graduation, going off to college and so on.

Briones wasn't any different. And like most people who been posed that question, she didn't quite have the answer at the ready. Staring down the barrel of her freshman year of college, Briones knew that she had to figure out a plan quick.

So in response, she asked herself what she enjoyed at the time, and whether or not there was something out there that allowed her to mix all of those up into a rewarding profession.

"I was first drawn to athletic training when I was a senior in high school," Briones recalled. "I was still trying to figure out where I wanted to go to college and what I wanted to do with my life. At the time, athletic training appeared to be a nice blend of the things I enjoyed most: sports, medicine, and helping people."

Despite not having much to go off beyond that, she dove right in. After all, who says you can't be your own example of success?

Briones headed to Tallahassee, Fla. to set up shop at Florida State University and quickly discovered that sometimes, figuring things out is as simple as finding a way to get paid to do the things you like.

"I did not have an athletic trainer during middle school and high school, so it wasn't until I was a few years into my formal athletic training education that I realized this was something special and I could make it my career," she said.

To this point, she's done exactly that. There's a saying that goes, 'If you find a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life.'

Maybe Briones is fortunate enough to be in such a position. But that doesn't mean she doesn't put the time in. Far from it.

"… means the world to me…"

If you didn't know any better, you'd think that a typical day for Briones is not too far off from that of a student-athlete. It begins early, lasts long, and there's not a ton of breaks in between.

It's not uncommon for Briones to start her day before the sun does, but it begins with a task that's a bit more taxing than weights, conditioning or anything else the typical student-athlete would have to handle. That task? Parenting.

After breakfast and making sure her cubs are ready to face the day, Briones sets out to face hers head-on. Arriving to campus generally around 8 a.m. – if not a few minutes before – Briones checks her emails, plans her rehab assignments for the day and from there? It's go, go, go.

"Most of my athletes come in between 9:30 and 12:30. Around 12:30, I try to take my lunch and get a quick workout in," she said. "From 1:30 to 3:30 I get the student-athletes ready for practice and rush around to catch up with coaches ... then I'm out at practice from 4:00 to 6:30."

After final housekeeping items, Briones heads home to end the day as it began: with family time as well keeping her nose in the books to stay ahead of trends and practices while remaining efficient and superbly knowledgeable within her profession.

The daily routine can be arduous, but there's always something new to learn from every day. And as a proponent of self-improvement – for herself and for those she feels a responsibility toward – Briones welcomes the challenges as well as the opportunities provided to know who her student-athletes are beyond the arena of play.

"(Being an athletic trainer) has exposed my weaknesses and highlighted my gifts and strengths," she said. "My favorite aspect of it all is getting to know my athletes outside of sports and getting to meet them and their families and see a whole different side of them. I enjoy getting to meet them as wide-eyed freshman and watching all them grow into mature young adults and future leaders."
 
In addition to watching her student-athletes grow, Briones grows as well. She understands the importance of being a shining example within the realm of athletic training; not only for herself, but for those hoping to follow in her footsteps.

"I take pride in my profession and do my best to ensure that its future is in good hands with the next generation of young professionals," she said. "I enjoy mentoring young professionals and aspiring athletic trainers as well. We all have some to look up to as well as someone who looks up to us."

Athletic training isn't just stretches, water and the occasional tape job to Briones.

For her, it's a daily opportunity to make a difference. It's a daily opportunity to pursue her passion, and it's a daily opportunity to help ensure that a student-athlete is fortunate enough to experience what she's been able to enjoy ever since devoting her life toward her chosen path.

"Being an athletic trainer means the world to me and it is something I take very seriously," Briones said. "I am passionate about athletic training and all the responsibility that comes with it. I am responsible for the safety and well-being of someone else's child when they take that field. I want the athlete and parent to know that they are in good hands, and they can enjoy doing what they love."

No wonder she's a mama bear.