Photo Courtesy of Sonnie DaCosta

By Natalie Hanna & Karma Paez

Being a student-athlete is all fun and games until a career-ending injury occurs. Sonnie DaCosta, a former high school softball player, knows this all too well, as her severe knee injury permanently altered her athletic trajectory. However, now many schools are better equipped to support students in cases of injuries, thanks to dedicated athletic trainers like DaCosta. Their role is to prevent, diagnose, and treat injuries that athletes may encounter during sporting events.

For the past two years, DaCosta has been an indispensable member of the athletics team at Granada Hills Charter High School (GHC). Before joining GHC, DaCosta garnered 14 years of experience as an athletic trainer at various other schools. That expertise makes her a great fit for our athletes.

DaCosta’s schedule varies based on the sports seasons since she prioritizes the teams in the season. During the fall, she arrives at school around 6:00 a.m. to provide coverage for the sports practices including football, cheer, and both the girls and boys basketball teams.

After practices, she returns home where she works on injury reports, follow-ups with previous injuries, and any other documentation that needs to be handled before she returns to campus in the afternoon for practices or games.

“My goals are to try and continue to do my best to empower athletes and give them the tools they need to participate in their sport of choice and lifelong physical activity for as long as they can,” DaCosta said. “I also try to impress upon them how important it is to be a member of a community, to contribute in a positive way to that community, and to be the best teammate and human they can be.”

DaCosta has helped many athletes recover from many injuries ranging from severe ankle sprains, to jammed fingers. For example, Jackson Lyons, a senior student-athlete at GHC, injured his ankle last year and DaCosta was able to help him return to baseball in less than three weeks.

“Sonnie had me do these stretches on my feet to help me get the blood flowing,” Lyons said. “After that, she did this massage where she would rub on the place that it hurt the most to get the blood to flow. Even though it was painful it helped a lot and allowed me to start running the following week.”

Beyond injury recovery, DaCosta strives to provide a safer environment for all of her student-athletes. However, she heavily pushes a “we attitude” over a “me attitude” to the athletes she meets with. In doing so, DaCosta created the SCOTS.

The SCOTS is a football leadership team that DaCosta started over the summer, which consists of 12 football players. These athletes become mentors to other teammates to shape them to become the next generation of leaders for the team.

The program is built to develop strong leadership skills and be able to share both positive and negative experiences with those interested in the program. DaCosta’s goal is to eventually spread the SCOTS program to all sports. Students value DaCosta and all the work she puts in for her teams and their players.

“She’s like our team mom,” a senior on the football team Oliver Taylor said.

There is more to being an athletic trainer than just caring for injuries.
Described by students as hardworking, caring, and highly motivated to do her job, DaCosta has left an imprint on her student-athletes and the ones that will follow.