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Carrie Powell
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Carrie Powell, athletic trainer for Swain County Schools, unexpectedly died over the weekend, leaving a hole in the hearts of many in the school system who’d known her the 20 years she worked there.
“She was loved by many people in Swain County. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family at this time,” stated a post from Swain County Schools on Facebook Monday afternoon, Nov. 6.
The post added that on Tuesday, Nov. 7, there would be counselors available on campus for any students affected by Powell’s passing.
On the school district’s Facebook page, the comments poured in – from other adjacent school districts paying their respects and from parents of alumni who still held gratitude to Powell for helping their children with sports-related injuries in years past. One former student from Murphy High recounted how Powell had helped him with a sprained ankle, even though he was from another team altogether.
By email, Swain cross country coach Keith Payne said he was “fighting back the tears.”
“Words escape me at the moment,” he wrote. “Here is the type of person she was: Two years ago, Ben had some severe hamstring cramps at home after practice. I could not get them to stop, and I called Carrie for some ideas. She came to the house to help Ben. She did this twice. I take solace that the last words I said to her was ‘I love you.’ She meant the world to my whole family.”
Lady Devils soccer coach Scott Cline called Powell “incredible.”
“Carrie was such an incredible person that always put the needs of others above her own needs,” he wrote in an email. “You could always count on her to be there for us as coaches and for the kids! The safety and health of our players were always the number one priority. She has made an impact on Swain County that will never be forgotten! She has made an impact across the state! I have had students at SCC, who also worked with her at Brio’s, and many parents of players from soccer tournaments that she has worked across the state that have talked about what a major impact she has made in their lives. She has impacted so many people in a positive way!”
Toby Burrell, Swain Schools public information officer said there were “no words” to describe their grief.
“Everyone associated with Maroon Devil Athletics, from coaches to players to former players and former coaches are devastated by the news of Carrie’s passing. There simply are no words to describe the depth of our grief and broken hearts. We have lost an integral part of athletics and Swain County, but more than that, we have lost our dear friend,” Burrell wrote in an email.
Powell went to school at Lenoir Rhyne University, where she played soccer and softball.
Her time at LRU was also marked by an interesting incident in her life as she was able to reconnect with her sister, who she’d been separated from as a child when their parents passed away.
Then she enrolled at Western Carolina University, where she pursued a degree in Emergency Medicine.
Her journey to Swain started when she worked as a graduate assistant in the WCU sports medicine department. The Sylva hospital sports medicine program, which staffed the Swain athletic trainer position, ended up needing a new hire for the position, which would be vacant otherwise. Powell took the job.
She got her degree at the end of that year but ended up falling in love with the area and staying full time for the next several decades.