Counting on Courtney’s Corner

As the fall sports season gets underway, one friendly and familiar face at Palisades High will be that of Courtney Watson, for she is never far from the action.

Whether it’s football at Stadium by the Sea or basketball in the gym, “Courtney’s Corner” is there to keep Pali High athletes on their feet and at the top of their games.

For the last seven years Watson has been the head athletic trainer for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and she now has the same role at Pali High, where she has her own team of trainers to attend to whatever injuries may arise on the field of play.

“We have our own team and I’ve been teachng kids anatomy and how to stay hydrated so they can prevent injuries,” said Watson, who graduated from Westchester High, where she lettered all four years in basketball and volleyball and also ran track. “The Sparks’ season just finished and it was a lot fun.”

A disciple of the R.I.C.E. principle, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation, Watson got her Bachelor’s degree in sociology at UC Berkeley and her Master’s in  Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania.

After spending 13 years at her alma mater, Watson started at Pali High last year and taught a sports medicine class, even choosing dedicated students to teach the ins and outs of her trade.

“All of the kids get certified in CPR and First Aid so they can apply those skills,” she said. “The kids have really taken on the challenge so we may bring back a class and we will have an internship program. A lot of them put in time on weekends and it’s great to see some of the kids who took my class now getting opportunities and recognizing emergencies. I bring some of them along to Sparks practice so they can see what I do. No matter what profession you’re in, there’s nothing like hands-on experience.”

Asked if Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant can fully recover after tearing his Achilles tendon late in the 2012-13 season, Watson described him as “one of the hardest working guys in sports” who will find ways to contribute.

Bryant’s physical therapist,  Judy Seto, was one of Watson’s mentors at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic.

“She’s one of the best in the world and I have a desire and ambition to be like her,” Watson said. “Kobe is in good hands with her.”

Besides her roles of white and purple tape, Watson is easily identifiable in her ear-to-ear smile that itself is an eternal healer.

As the head trainer at Westchester, from 2002 to 2012, Watson earned 10 rings and last spring she got her first at Pali, courtesy of the boys golf team winning the City title.

“Hopefully, I’ll get a lot more,” she said. “Pali is used to winning so I’m sure that was the first of many.”