Assistant Athletic Trainer: My name is Matt Price - Plainview seems more like home to me every year. I grew up and went to high school in a small town in Oklahoma, and the peace and quiet of small-town life appeal to me. I was an academic all-stater in high school and powerlifting was my favorite sport. “I hit some speed bumps in college, and it didn’t turn out quite like I had expected. I realized I had to get my act together, and so, with the inspiration of a buddy of mine, I joined the US Army. Being a soldier taught me personal accountability and responsibility to a team. “After serving three years in the US Army, I returned to college with a new attitude, and finally graduated in 2004 from Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training. Getting my degree and passing the NATABOC exam to become a certified athletic trainer was one of the hardest, but most rewarding, things I have ever done. “I started graduate school in Beaumont, Texas in 2004, and it was a hurricane of academic assignments, work, and fun experiences in athletic training. I had the opportunity to work with the hockey team, the Texas Wildcatters, and with the arena football team, the Beaumont Drillers, as well as working with the women’s basketball and men’s and women’s tennis programs at Lamar University. “Graduate school wasn’t for me, though, so I found a job at a local high school, where I started working in earnest as both an athletic trainer and a teacher. After four years, I applied for the job here at Plainview, and have never looked back. Plainview offered the diversity and the hometown feel I had been looking for. Eleven years later, I can still say the same thing. “If there is one piece of advice that I can impart to anyone, it is to always do your best no matter what. If you know you did your best, you’ll have no regrets.”