Julie Barton Poised for Great Career in Athletic Training

Growing up in small town Allegany, New York, Port Allegany High School Athletic Trainer Julie Barton was always involved in a number of sports. Growing up, Barton played three sports for the Allegany-Limestone High School. As a high schooler, Barton played soccer, basketball, and track and field. She listed track and field as her best sport, but soccer as her favorite. She was named a three time CCAA All-Star and twice was named a Big 30 All-Star all in soccer. In her junior season of 2013, she was named third-team all-state. Her standout play both in her high school season and also in her AAU soccer career attracted the attention of nearby Pitt-Bradford.

Barton was leaning towards a career in athletics, and Pitt-Bradford recently added a degree in athletic training which she was very much interested in. After a visit, Barton made up her mind to attend Pitt-Bradford, and with the Panthers, Barton was a member of the Panthers women’s soccer team for four seasons. As a midfielder, Barton appeared in 62 games in her collegiate career, scoring five goals, including three game winners. While Barton has enjoyed great success in soccer, she mentioned it was not without some roadblocks.

“As a freshman in high school, I was on the junior-varsity soccer team, which was frustrating. All of my friends were on varsity, but looking back, it made me a better player and competitor in the long run. I finished as one of our top JV scorers that season, and not being on varsity made me work harder for the remainder of my high school soccer career. I am glad to say I earned what I got.” Barton also faced a badly sprained ankle during high school, but it lead to a great moment of realization that being around athletics was something she was not willing to ever give up.

“We did not have a full-time athletic trainer in high school. My coaches taped up the players for practices and games, and I realized that physical therapy had a bit too much office work for me. Through these experiences, I chose athletic training.” So far in her young career, Barton has enjoyed her time at Port Allegany. “The teachers, staff, coaches, and athletes have all been great. I am glad to be close to home doing what I love. I am glad to be there for a number of athletes to share my knowledge and experiences with them. I have filled in during soccer practices to help the teams out which was incredibly rewarding.”

While Barton has various memories from soccer and sports in general, she lists the overall friendships she made from sports and athletic training as her favorite thing. “Particularly at UPB, we all got along very well. I think one moment that is my favorite and will always be remembered is accidently leaving a girl at a restaurant after a game. It was something our whole team will always look back and laugh on.”

Barton is still active in soccer today by participating in the indoor soccer leagues in Olean, New York. She plays alongside some of her college teammates and friends who also reside around the area. She also is hopeful to continue filling in for Port Allegany soccer once in awhile when they need an extra hand or player for drills. 

In terms of her biggest supporters, she lists her parents Karen and Bob Barton as the number one supporters throughout her journey in athletics. Barton also lists her good friends Brandon Carapellatti and Todd Mason as two people who have continued to show her a great amount of support through the years. When asked about her coaches over the years, Barton said “I have been lucky to have so many great coaches throughout my career at all levels. There were a few coaching changes throughout my college career, but everyone brought something different which helped me individually.”

These days, she stays active with a usual early morning run. The mornings are the time Barton has to herself because the rest of her long days are spent helping student athletes perform at their best. A career in athletic training is one with long hours and long days. However, Barton would not have it any other way. She provides a great support system to high school athletes while also bringing great knowledge and a passion for helping athletes compete to the best of their abilities.

Through some tough times in both the early part and the latter part of her high school career, Barton persevered and had a great four year career with the Pitt-Bradford Panthers women’s soccer team. The teammates she made during her college career will last a lifetime, and she is well on her way to a long and successful career in athletic training.