Article reposted from Bradenton Herald
Author: JASON DILL
Matt Ennis noticed Lora Stelzer’s knack for bursting into dance at a State College of Florida sporting event.
So SCF’s athletic director joked with Stelzer that he’d catch her on video at some point and post it on SCF’s social media channels.
It never happened.
“I think I just planned it at the right time where he couldn’t think fast enough to film me,” Stelzer said. “You have to stay goofy and loose, especially working with college students.”
And now, it will not.
Stelzer, SCF’s athletic trainer since 2011, is leaving the Manatees to become Cal State Bakersfield’s athletic trainer.
Her last day at SCF is Friday, Aug. 4. Stelzer, who is from California, said her new gig’s target start date is in mid-August.
“My husband and I are going to drive from Florida to California,” Stelzer said.
Stelzer became the Manatees athletic trainer after Ennis became the program’s athletic director, and she left her native California with a cross-country drive to Bradenton in 2011.
“Totally a great opportunity for her,” Ennis said. “Super excited for Lora and what it holds for her.”
It’s an exciting opportunity, but also bittersweet for Stelzer. She said it was a difficult decision after spending more than six years in the role. But a key selling point to take a job at a four-year school was returning home.
“My brother will be about an hour away,” Stelzer said. “My parents are about three or four hours away, so definitely having them close is definitely a benefit.”
During Stelzer’s career with SCF, she took on several extra responsibilities as an athletic trainer. She chaired Florida’s collegiate athletic trainer committee, which includes colleges at all levels. Stelzer also was involved with athletic training at the National Junior College Athletic Association level and being an instrumental force in a state-level sports medicine group.
“When she’s on the job, you know your students are taken care of,” Ennis said.