Meet Hunter Hatton, MSAT, LAT, ATC, CSCS, our newest injury prevention specialist! Hunter is not quite new to The Micheli Center as he just completed his internship with us. He is thrilled to be officially part of the team and we are just as excited to have him on board. Hunter, left, is pictured here hanging out with his younger brother.
Hometown: Smyrna, New York
Alma maters:
Undergraduate – SUNY Brockport
Graduate – University at Buffalo
Favorite professional sports teams: New York Jets, New York Mets, Buffalo Sabres, & Golden State Warriors
Favorite place you’ve traveled to: Nashville, Tennessee
What drew you to The Micheli Center: I was first drawn to The Micheli Center during graduate school, as I was researching potential internship sites for a spring immersion experience. I had always wanted to find a way to combine my strength and conditioning and athletic training knowledge, and The Micheli Center provided me the opportunity to do just that. While I was an intern here, I felt that I was able to fully utilize my skillset and successfully blend my two knowledge bases. In addition, I appreciated that my peers constantly challenged me to become a better clinician, coach, and person. After a very educational internship experience, I was eager to return and was fortunate enough begin my career at The Micheli Center!
How did you develop an interest in athletic and strength training: I first developed an interest in athletic training during my senior year of high school. After experiencing a string of orthopedic injuries, and subsequent surgeries, I was unable to continue my athletic career. I know what it feels like to have one’s athletic identity stripped away, and the impact that can have. My goal as an athletic trainer is to show athletes in similar situations that their bodies are still capable of accomplishing great things and that we can work together to achieve them. Regarding strength training, I was always involved in athletics growing up and as I became older, I realized strength training is a major key to succeeding on the playing field. In addition, I realized that strength training could help me avoid injuries, allowing me to have a longer playing career. However, I wasn’t able to afford to hire a personal trainer, so I decided to learn about the subject myself, setting me off on the path I’m on today.
What are small changes people could make that would have a large impact on their overall health: One small change that I think can improve one’s well-being is finding a healthy outlet for stress. I believe that in today’s world, we are all experiencing heightened levels of stress but don’t always have a safe and productive way to manage it. This buildup of emotion can lead to an explosive expression if left unchecked for too long. Activities such as going for a walk, mindful breathing exercises, or journaling are all examples of ways that one may be able to offload and unwind. In doing so, one can mitigate several long-term health effects stemming from prolonged periods of stress.
What is your preferred method of exercise, either a certain activity or specific regimen:
My preferred methods of exercise are resistance training for hypertrophy and low-impact cardio, such as walking. This fall, I plan to shift to powerlifting to gain experience within that sport as well. In general though, I just love to exercise and will try anything once!
Favorite motivational/inspirational quote: “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right. -Hunter S Thompson” -My Father
Favorite novelty ice cream from the ice cream truck: Chocolate Éclair Ice Cream Bar
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