EDGARD — Larry Dauterive said he has coached sports for 44 years at every level and never saw a better athletic trainer than Jeanne Leroy.

“If you found the word trainer in the dictionary, they would have her picture there,” he said. “When I came to East St. John in 2002, we had zero trainers, none. We didn’t even have people volunteering. I met Jeanne Leroy when I went to a Hahnville basketball game in 2002. It’s amazing the way she handles athletes, she doesn’t make whiny babies out of them, she makes them tough so they can play.”

Dauterive said Leroy always had the last say when it came to someone getting hurt.

“We never went over her head,” the veteran coach said. “If (Leroy) said someone couldn’t play, then they couldn’t play. She is just fantastic.”

Leroy has been practicing sports medicine for 26 years.

She is the athletic trainer for four middle schools in St. Charles Parish and also a P.E. teacher. She works with Acadian Ambulance Services, where she is on the sidelines for New Orleans Saints and Tulane home games and returned this school year as the trainer for West St. John High School, covering all of the sports.

Brandon Walters, the head football coach at West St. John, has known Leroy since 1998.

“She is very dependable, very intelligent, relates to the kids and is very professional,” Walters said.

“The trainer is the go between with the coach and parents and the coach and the doctor, and that’s what she does. She is very valuable to the program. She loves her job and has a great passion.”

Leroy followed football with her dad when she was young, watching many Notre Dame games.

“When a player went down, I used to watch people go down on the field and help them,” Leroy said. “Since I wasn’t a boy and I couldn’t play football, I always said I wanted to be that person that helps out the athletes on the field. Ever since then, my passion has been sports and athletics so I pursued the athletic trainer route.”

Leroy worked at West St. John High and East St. John High for eight years before leaving to work in St. Charles. However, she is happy to be back.

“I like (West St. John),” she said. “I like the students, they play with heart. It feels good to work with the high school students again and the student trainers. I get to help the student trainers learn how to do different types of rehab and taping and get them involved so hopefully they can get scholarships.”

Being a trainer and teacher for outlets in multiple parishes can be difficult at times, but Leroy pushes through.

“My main job is with the middle schools in St. Charles Parish,” she said. “Most of the high school games are in the evening time, when my middle school practices are done. Most of my responsibilities with West St. John are home games for all sports.

“I’ve learned to juggle everything. Even when I’m not working as a trainer, I’m working with Acadian as an EMT. I also teach CPR classes and do certifications at schools.”

The hours can be rough, but Leroy said she enjoys what she does.

At times, she said it doesn’t feel like a job because it’s a good time.

“I have a good working relationship with the coaches, the parents and the doctors,” she said. “With the athletes, if I’m there for the games, I do all the prep. I make sure they have all their fluids and whatever they need before the game starts. I make sure the schools have their supplies for practices. If an athlete gets injured, then I assess the athlete, talk to the coaches and parents and them know what is going on.”

Leroy said she wants to educate the athletes she comes in contact with so they can understand their bodies and their limits, starting with middle school students.

“I want them to know about nutrients, weight training and conditioning; that way they can continue that throughout their life,” she said.

By Raquel Derganz Baker