By MARQUIS JONES
Reporter
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Most UCM athletes spent their summer training for the upcoming season. While training, some even had a summer job. For Jonathan Good, taking care of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints was more than a summer experience.

Good, a junior track and field athlete, is one of the busiest students at UCM. If he’s not running a 400, 800 or 4×400 meter relay, Good is most likely on the sidelines of a UCM sporting event as an athletic-training student.
“This summer was a lot of fun, but also a lot of hard work,” Good said. “I gained a lot of experience and confidence in my skills.”
The 21-year-old sprinter/athletic trainer from Wellington, Missouri, has dreamed about working for a professional sports team one day. This summer, Good received an athletic training internship offer from multiple NFL teams before accepting one from the Saints.
Good said working preseason games was his favorite part of the internship.
“The environment of an NFL stadium was unreal,” Good said. “Seeing the fans and being in the locker room with the players was amazing.”
On top of taping ankles, getting water and making sure that the professional athletes were performing to their best abilities, Good was also trying to stay in shape by completing his summer track workouts. His daily routine with workouts and treatment on players put a lot of hours on him.
“Because I am a student athlete, I decided to work out at 4 a.m.,” Good said. “Days would last 14 to 16 hours. There was one week where we worked for 100 hours.”
Student athletes are always busy and Good was already prepared. The Marine Corps helped shape Good’s work ethic.
“A lot of work and a lot of hours with my training in the Marine Corp helped me prepare for those long days before those 6 a.m. treatments.”
The work was extensive, but Good said he liked the practical experience.
“What I liked about this internship was that it was hands-on,” Good said. “We treated the players on our own, assisted the players with their rehab, go one-on-one with the players all morning, then we practiced. More treatments and more rehab after practice so they could be ready for the second practice.”
Even though Good was at the Saints training camp and away from home, he was not away from his family as much. His mother and brother came for a weekend and stood in the stands with the fans watching Good do what he loves.
“It was awesome to have both my mom and my brother at training camp,” Good said. “They support me with everything I do. Seeing them there in the stands was exciting.”
As a college athlete, Good stayed professional around all the athletes. Even though he knew it would be overwhelming at first to meet star NFL players, Good just remembered that they are regular people like him.
“Yeah, you’re a fan of a players like Drew Brees and Mark Ingram, but they’re regular guys at the same time, even though they’re some of the best athletes in the NFL,” Good said. “They are really respectful.”
Good is also looking forward to next summer because the organization invited him back.
“My goal is to eventually work in the NFL and I got my foot in the door now, so I’ve got pretty good potential to do something big in life,” Good said. “I just don’t know where it will take me from here.”