Meet... Megan

You may rarely see or notice her, standing on the sidelines at most Flandreau Fliers sporting events. It seems to be how Megan Petersen prefers it. But the talented, caring and driven young woman is never far from where the action is going on.
Petersen is serving in her second year as Athletic Trainer (AT) for Flandreau Public Schools. She’s been a certified AT since 2018, with degrees from both Augustana, where she earned her undergraduate degree, and South Dakota State University, where she earned her Masters. She came to Flandreau through Avera Health, her employer, after serving smaller schools in Castlewood, Estelline and Duebrook Area as a Graduate Assistant.
“I love it…I’ve always been drawn to sports and when I was in high school, I had injuries myself. My senior year I blew out my knee so I did a lot of time with Pysical Therapists and AT’s. I just grew to love it. They put in so much time and work to help me out, I want to give back,” Petersen told the Moody County Enterprise. “That’s the ultimate goal — keep kids playing and doing what they love.”

It’s not easy, she said. Kids anymore, especially those who may want to take their sports to another level, aren’t good at resting or taking an offseason. Often, they’re led to believe that if they do, they’ll ruin their chances of getting noticed.
“Sometimes your body does need to rest, it’s okay…you don’t need to be going and playing something all the time. I think it’s one issue that trainers are trying to combat. You win some of those battles and some you don’t but ultimately we’re trying to get across that sometimes less is better than more.”
Don’t try and tell Petersen that, however, when it comes to getting after her own goals and passions each day. Petersen, who grew up farming with her family in Luverne, now runs a farm of her own between Luverne and Garretson. When she’s not on the field, court, or course, she’s managing two hog barns on her own place.
“I have a really busy day and when I’m not here, I’m at home working on the farm…especially during the fall. I’ll jump from a tractor, clean up quickly, come up here and then I’m right back to the tractor when I’m done with practices. Game nights get a little later,” she said. “I’ve helped my dad since I was little and I love that as much as I love Athletic Training, so I found an option that allowed me to do both.”