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Beth Anania is in a Granger for the long haul now as she has officially accepted the full-time athletic trainer position at LaGrange High School. The East Brunswick, New Jersey native started working for LaGrange High School back in January as she was working through her graduate program at Auburn University. Anania will be earning her master’s degree in exercise science at the end of June. 

“I like it here,” Anania said. “It was really nice to be offered, and it was nice to see how much they wanted me. Having the staff and (Athletic Director Mike) Pauley and everybody encouraging me made me feel more welcome.”

The only hesitation for Anania was the fact that LaGrange is so far from her family. Luckily, LaGrange High School has welcomed her with open arms.

“I kind of have a second family here,” Anania said. “They are a really good support system, so that made my decision for me.” 

After a storied softball career in New Jersey that ended upon her graduation from Kean University in 2021, Anania has found her way south of the Mason-Dixon line. She never dreamed her career would take her to a small town in Georgia, but LaGrange has slowly been morphing into her home. Tired of the hour-long commute from Auburn to LaGrange, Anania is working on getting moved across the border to Troup County. 

Her responsibilities from her time as a graduate student working this past semester to her full-time employment starting in the fall are negligible, but the main benefit will be the amount of time she will have to spend with the student-athletes. The spring semester saw Anania commute an hour from Auburn after she finished classes so she was only able to squeeze in the athletes into her afternoon. Now, she will be able to treat the student-athletes throughout the day, which means she will have more time to focus on individuals rather than having to squeeze everybody into a certain time frame in the afternoon. 

Anania also feels more confident in her ability to treat the student-athletes than she did when she first started back in January. She was thrown right into the middle of basketball season and had to adjust on the fly. It was a learning experience for Anania that really tested her mettle as she had to get her bearings in unfamiliar territory. She came out of her first semester battled tested and ready for the brutality of her first Georgia football season in the fall. 

Despite being battle hardened, Anania is still getting used to the southern summer heat that consumes over half of the calendar year. This is a far cry from the chilly winter winds and cool summer breeze that make up the calendar year in her hometown. Adjusting to the heat is not just something she is doing for personal reasons, it is also essential in her professional life. Caring for student-athletes on days when the heat index 100+ degrees is an important part of being an athletic trainer in the south. Anania is well-trained in how to deal with suboptimal weather and has been pleased to see the coaches from LaGrange being trained on how to deal with high heat index days.     

Being the athletic trainer at LaGrange High School is Anania’s first “adult” job. Her time as a Granger has already taught her a lot as she navigates the uncharted waters of young adulthood. 

“This is my first big girl job,” Anania said with a laugh. “This job has helped manage my transition from being a child to an adult. I’m maturing and adulting.”

The transition part of Anania’s life is about to be over as she settles into her new role as the full-time athletic trainer at LaGrange High School. Anania is excited about the opportunity and is looking forward to her first fall sports season, but she is already dreading having to take her first yearbook photo since she was just a girl swinging the bat and walking the halls of East Brunswick High School in the 2010s.