MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- The Basic School holds the future of the Corps’ leadership on their shoulders. Training is rigorous and made to push the mind as well as the body, but when a student’s body begins to give out, Edward J. Sedory, certified athletic trainer, is TBS’s secret weapon.
A Tucson, Ariz., native, Sedory had the desire to become a certified athletic trainer since he was a freshman attending Canyon del Oro High School. He was impressed by how sports and medicine interacted and pursued that career.
A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a physical education athletic training degree and a minor in psychology, Sedory also attended The University of Virginia and earned a masters in sports medicine. He also acquired multiple certifications and training through Marine Corps programs.
“I feel like all my training and educational experiences have really prepared me to be the best athletic trainer I can be,” said Sedory. “UVA and SIU set me up right for success.”
Sedory started his career in Quantico with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Academy as an athletic trainer in 2005. After two years, he wanted to change things up a bit and, after finding there was a position open at TBS, made the move in 2007.
“My first few experiences at TBS were sort of like baptism by fire,” Sedory said. “The first time I walked into the office, I started taking care of patients and asking questions. I really hit the ground running. It was also a huge learning process such as the rank structure, how things work at TBS and the general idea of officer training from exercises to events.”
Sedory has been able to make a name for himself. Whether a person is a student or a part of the staff, nine times out of 10, Sedory has made an impact in their lives or the lives of someone they know. In fact, Sedory was recognized as the Virginia Athletic Trainers Association's 2012 Virginia Athletic Trainer of the Year in clinical and emerging practices on Jan. 12.
“Jay has helped us all out,” said Christopher Beard, operations chief, Martial Arts Center of Excellence, TBS. “He always makes time for us and gives us his full attention. Plus, he’s a really fun guy to be around. We can make fun of him and he stays resilient while rolling with punches.”
Sedory has worked with hundreds of TBS’s students and staff for more than five years and has grown professionally and personally as he learned much from the Marines that many civilians not attached to the military will never come across. Yet, if someone were to ask him if he’s planning to work for professional sports teams, his answer would be the same since his arrival at TBS.
“You couldn’t pay me enough to do anything else, anywhere else besides the military,” Sedory said. “At the end of the day, anyone who works in the setting that we do, understands that the Bowl Championship Series games are cool but what really matters in the bigger scheme of things are that the Navy and the Marine Corps have a lot bigger missions. I’m proud to be a part of that.”