Category: Athletic Training Student

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Ryan Maurer, a summer intern with the Green Bay Packers

Article reposted from Vernon County Broadcaster
Author: Matt Johnson

Viroqua’s Ryan Maurer has a unique claim to fame that has reflected as well on himself as on the organization with whom he is linked.

Maurer spent six weeks last summer as an athletic training intern with the Green Bay Packers. Maurer said he earned a new appreciation for both hard work and the personalities of the men and women who wear the Green and Gold for Titletown.

Maurer’s parents are Rich and Karen and they helped get the Broadcaster together with Ryan as he returned to his studies at UW-La Crosse.

What follows are the Broadcaster’s Questions & Answers with Maurer about his summer internship.

Q: What is your age, what are you studying in college and where?

A: I am 21 years old and in my senior year of the athletic training program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Q: What is the program that got you hooked up to work with the Packers? How does the program work? How did you get chosen for the internship?

A: The athletic training program at UW-L is the longest standing accredited program in the state. Most years the Packers take one intern from our program. This year they actually took 2 from La Crosse. I sent in my cover letter and resume to one of the athletic trainers with the team. A phone interview followed and then shortly after I was selected.

Q: How long did the internship last? Where did you work at in Lambeau field and at the team’s other assorted facilities? Where did you stay? How many new friends did you make due to the experience?

A: The internship lasted six weeks. I got there a week before training camp started to just get familiar with things and do a few camp prep items. We stayed with the players in the St. Norbert dorms when they were there. When the players moved out of the dorms midway through training camp the team put us up in a hotel.

We worked primarily in the athletic training room at Lambeau but we had access to much of the facility including the locker room and weight room. We also worked down at the practice fields (both the outdoor one and the Don Hutson Center). Our duties in the athletic training room consisted primarily of carrying out the player’s treatment and rehab plans for that day.

We also did a lot of grunt work like reorganizing the stockroom. In addition, we were responsible for the setup and tear down of practices and games. This was a much more involved process than I anticipated it would be. We were typically down at practice about two hours beforehand getting everything ready from a medical/hydration standpoint. I was one of six summer interns that they had this summer. We all got along well and ended up learning a lot from each other.

Q: Who did you get to know the best on the Packer staff and what was your experience like overall working with the Packers?

A: The Packers medical director is an athletic trainer and a physical therapist named Pepper Burruss. He has been in the league for around 40 years (a few with the Jets but mostly with the Packers). He is a legend in the field of athletic training. It was awesome to get to know him and hear all of his stories. He has an absolute wealth of knowledge related to sports medicine

Q: Did you have a lot of access to the players and ever have any moments when you were having conversations with players about things other than football? If so, what was it like?

A: We interacted with the players quite a bit. It was important for us to maintain our professionalism throughout the time we were there, but we still had interactions with them on a “personal level.” They really were normal guys for the most part. They share a lot of the same problems and struggles the rest of the world does.

For me, being a fan of the team, it was cool to see what the personalities of these guys was like. For example, Eddie Lacy is arguably the funniest dude on the team. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes you laugh.

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Q: Do you have any single favorite personal story from your experience and if so, please describe it.

A: Randall Cobb was one of the players I really interacted a lot with. Early on in camp we started a routine where I would get his post practice ice bath ready for him before he got to the training room. This particular day it happened to be his birthday.

I was helping out another player while he was icing and he said across the training room, “Ryan, can you do me a favor?” I thought he was just gonna ask me to grab something from his locker for him, but this was not the case. I went over to him and he said “it’s my birthday but no one has sung happy birthday to me yet, would you mind doing that for me?”

It would have been impossible for me to say no to that request, so I obliged. He pulled out his phone, opened snapchat, and I sang happy birthday to him. I ended up having some other very cool interactions with him throughout camp. He was easily one of my favorite players I worked with in Green Bay. Just a very humble and genuine guy.

Q: What would you say were important things you learned along the way?

A: I definitely learned a new appreciation for hard work. I have always considered myself a very hard worker, but this internship definitely pushed me farther. We basically lived at Lambeau (which is not a terrible thing), since we put in such long hours and really only went back to St. Norbert’s or the hotel to sleep.

I also learned things as it relates to athletic training, too. I have already been able to take some of these things and apply them to my clinicals at UW-La Crosse working with the football team.

Q: Do you think you’ll have an opportunity to do such work again with the Packers? What are your career goals?

This internship allowed me to get my foot in the door, and I could apply for a season long internship if I wanted to. Right now my plans are go to physical therapy school after I graduate in May. I’m not 100 percent sure where I eventually hope to end up, but I know I want to work in sports medicine in some capacity. I love helping athletes recover from injuries and get back to doing what they love.

Q: What did your friends and family think of your experience?

A: I don’t think there’s a single internship a kid could do in the state of Wisconsin that would seem as cool to people as working for the Packers. My mom was glued to the TV during the preseason with her phone in hand trying to snap a picture of her son on the sidelines. I heard from a lot of people when I got back that they saw me on the sidelines or the field during a game.

One little boy came up to me and said “did you give Aaron Rodgers water? That’s soooooooo cool!” As school is starting back up here a lot of my friends and classmates have come up to me and said how happy they were for me that I was able to have this experience.

Q: How would you relate such an experience to your personal experience of growing up in Viroqua and in the Packer state? What was it like to be around all of the team’s many stars?

A: I am the biggest Packers fan I know. Ever since deciding to major in athletic training it has been my dream and goal to get this internship and get to work with my favorite team. So obviously this was a surreal experience for me.

Early on in camp Aaron Rodgers introduced himself to me and my fellow interns and asked what our names were and what schools we were from. It would have been easy for him to have forgotten this information. After all, we’re just lowly summer interns. This was not the case though. He remembered our names and where we were from all through camp, and would always say “hi” to us by name when we passed him in the hallways or saw him around the stadium. He’s an incredibly smart guy. He knew that the preseason game in San Francisco was the last one for many of us, so he came up to me during pre-game preparations in the training room and said “Ryan, remind me, I want to get a picture with you guys on the sideline sometime during the game.” He reminded me multiple times throughout the night, and towards the end of the third quarter he grabbed the team photographer, and then found me, and we took a picture.

I got to interact with a lot of great people in Green Bay, but Aaron was definitely one of my favorites. Besides the fact that he’s the best quarterback in the league, he’s also just a cool person to be around.

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Baylor Athletic Training Student Association supports victims of Louisiana flooding

Article reposted from Baylor Lariat
Author: Brianna Bassett

The Baylor Athletic Training Student Association raised almost $300 for the Louisiana State Athletic Training Student Association students to help with flood relief on Friday. Some Louisiana students lost their homes due to the recent flooding.

The American Red Cross calls this flood the “worst U.S. disaster since hurricane Sandy.” Over 40,000 homes were destroyed and least 13 people were killed.

The director of a related student organization at Louisiana State University reached out to other student associations across the country asking for donations.

Scottsdale, Ariz. senior Shani Thompson, Vice President of the Baylor Athletic Training Student Association, said 10 to 15 LSU athletic trainers lost their homes from the flooding.

“We rallied. We got back for the fall and decided we wanted to have a small fundraiser to get anything we could for them,” Thompson said.

Baylor’s organization put together a bake sale to help with the flood relief for the LSU students.

“I’m from south Louisiana and parts of where I am from were affected, so I know how bad they have it,” said Franklin, La. senior Kaitlin Randle, president of the Baylor Athletic Training Student Association. “I really wanted to help them out, especially being from there.”

The fundraiser took place from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday in the SUB. In just three hours, they were able to raise money to make an impact for the students.

Randle said some students stopped by the booth and just donated $10.

Randle said the organization is trying to get more involved in service organizations in hopes of helping other students throughout the country.

“Because we are athletic training students, our time is always limited. We’re always covering games, practices, etc., for Baylor athletics, so we don’t have much time to get really involved in service organizations,” Randle said. “We really try to push service and helping others.”

The organization will have a fundraiser at U-Swirl on Sept. 28. They encourage anyone to go and mention the organization. All proceededs will go to flood victims.

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K State Athletic Training Program Opening Professional Doors

Article reposted from kstatesports
Author: Corbin McGuire

In less than a month, Drew Yoder will begin his second season as head athletic trainer for the Golden State Warriors. His journey to such a prestigious position included many stops, but it was jumpstarted at K-State.
Yoder started his college career at a small school in Iowa, where he became involved in athletic training. After working a few summer camps at K-State, where his brother, Brandon Yoder, was an assistant athletic trainer for nine years, Drew decided to make the move to Manhattan.
“Looking back, it was one of the best moves I ever made for my career,” he said, eventually spending time at the University of Missouri, Southern Methodist University and with the Dallas Mavericks, before landing with the Warriors.
“I learned a lot from the (K-State) staff,” Yoder continued. “You’re trying to gain experience, you’re learning what you would do if you were in charge and what you wouldn’t do. Ultimately, I picked up a lot of things of what I would do, especially now that I am in charge.
“It’s definitely helped me get to where I’m at now.”
Yoder is one of many examples of how students benefit from working within K-State’s Athletic Training program.
Laura Schnettgoecke is another.
Schnettgoecke works for the San Francisco 49ers as an assistant athletic trainer. She said her time at K-State (2002-04) certainly prepared her for the professional world.
“I really felt like I was prepared in the classroom. I studied what I needed to know in there, but then I also got an education on things you can’t learn in the books,” she said of working with K-State Athletics. “I didn’t see how important that was at the time, but looking back, I think it was an advantage, and I’m really appreciative that they were able to get me through to that next step.”
The advantages of being groomed in athletic training at K-State, Yoder said, start with its size.
“I’ve talked to people in the business that when they’re looking at resumes of younger candidates, they don’t even necessarily look at people from smaller schools,” he said, adding that with size comes a large networking pool. “I was able to build a lot of great relationships when I was at K-State.”
The Wildcats’ Athletic Training program, which works with about 30 students each year, also offers experience in more than 10 different sports. This allows students to work with a rotation of teams during their time at K-State to gain a well-rounded experience.
Cody Derby, a current K-State student, has worked with rowing, football and baseball as an athletic trainer. Each experience, he said, increased his readiness for an internship with the Atlanta Braves earlier this year.
“All three of those prepared me,” he said. “I think every day you learned more.”
Derby didn’t realize how far he had progressed at K-State until working with the Braves in spring training.
“I didn’t think I knew a lot, but when I got to Florida, I was able to go, ‘Wow, I actually do know more than I think,’” he said. “That’s all because of K-State.”
The partnership between K-State Athletics and the university reinforces the K-State 2025 visionary plan by strengthening the connection between the two entities for the benefit of students. K-State Head Athletic Trainer Matt Thomason and Shawna Jordan, the Athletic Training Education Program Director on campus, head up this relationship that is beneficial for both sides.
“The partnership with K-State Athletics has allowed our students a unique opportunity during their undergraduate careers. The students are able to appreciate the commitment of working with Division I athletes and coaches while providing for the overall well-being of the student-athlete,” Jordan said. “These opportunities have enabled our students to advance in the profession of athletic training. I am extremely proud of the all the students in our program and grateful for the opportunities that K-State Athletics continues to provide for them.”
“While we have a partnership, we view our AT program as part of the K-State Family,” Thomason added. “I feel it is an extremely strong relationship in which both entities see the value and benefits that are provided.”
The skills and the amount of knowledge Thomason said he wants students to takeaway from their experiences with K-State Athletics are vast.
These range from injury prevention and rehabilitation of athletic injuries, learning and mastering all clinical skills, aquatic therapy, baseline testing, management of head injuries, assessing general illnesses and much more.
In short, Schnettgoecke said, the health and safety of the student-athletes is priority number one.
“That was really important, to take good care of them and see the job all the way through — pay attention to the details,” she said. “Their health and safety came first at K-State, and I carried that through to when I started working on my own.”
Not every student trainer will go on to reach the level of Yoder or Schnettgoecke, but Derby said the opportunity is there for all.
“With the sports that I’ve been with, they’ll do anything they can to help you get to where you want to go,” Derby said. “If you show that you’re driven and show that you care about this profession, they’ll do everything they can to help you.”
For Thomason and the rest of the Sports Medicine staff, seeing former students become successful trainers at any level is satisfying.
“While we never know where someone’s future may take them, it is really great to see how our young professionals have succeeded since leaving,” he said. “There is a great sense of pride in being able to say they graduated from our Athletic Training Program.”
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SFA Grad Student Interns with Houston Texans

Article reposted from The Pine Log
Author: The Pine Log

Discipline is the name of the game for SFA graduate student Jeffrey Rodriguez, who, since mid-July, has been interning as an athletic trainer with NFL team the Houston Texans.

Rodriguez, an Austin native who is a second-year graduate student in SFA’s athletic training program, is one of five U.S. students selected for the summer internship.

“Learning the Houston Texans were offering me a summer internship was one of the most gratifying moments in my life,” Rodriguez said. “This is such a memorable and unforgettable start to my final year as an SFA Lumberjack, and I couldn’t be more thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

By 4:30 a.m. on most days, Rodriguez is at NRG Stadium in Houston preparing the athletic training facility by making dozens of ice bags, filling water bottles, prepping therapeutic modality units, stocking tape, organizing rehabilitation equipment, and ensuring treatment tables are cleaned and ready for the athletes. Rodriguez said after the athletes start arriving about 6 a.m., the energy really starts to pick up.

“During this time, we become more hands on with the players by helping them get warm and stretch, providing their treatments, assisting them through rehabilitation exercises and taping before practice,” Rodriguez said. “I have been able to shadow staff members and observe many rehabilitative exercises that I have never been exposed to before.”

At 8:25 a.m., everyone is on the field. Rodriguez helps keep the players hydrated during practice, and around 11:30 a.m., he begins assisting with treatments. Until 7:30 p.m., Rodriguez and the other interns are working in the athletic training facility. Most days don’t end for Rodriquez until about 10 p.m., but he explained the early mornings and late nights have taught him discipline.

“I have gained so much valuable knowledge from this internship that will help me as I return to SFA to work with the Lumberjack football team this fall,” Rodriguez said. “The preparation and attention to detail the Texans’ staff members have demonstrated is something I will take with me and apply in all aspects of athletic training.”

Rodriguez added his stay in Houston has helped him apply what he has learned in the classroom and clinical setting to the real world. He is currently serving as president of the Organization of Athletic Training Students at SFA and is the 2016 recipient of the Sandy Miller Student Leadership award, which is presented annually to an athletic training student at SFA who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities. He also was recently awarded a scholarship from the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. After graduation, he plans to pursue a season-long position with a NFL team.

“This internship taught me the skills I need to be successful in this profession and that continually learning is going to be a big part of being in the NFL,” Rodriguez said. “I also learned the value of teamwork. Working well and efficiently with others to complete tasks is going to be an integral part of being a successful athletic trainer.”

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Athletic Training Students Intern with Kansas City Chiefs

Article reposted from MidAmerica Nazarene University
Author: Shari Flanagan

The thing about team sports is that there is a lot going on; anything from blocking and batting to running plays and scoring. It takes planning, practice and hard work.  Everyone has their place and when everyone is doing their best, the magic happens. The same is true for MNU’s athletic training program. There is a lot going on. MNU is one of the few universities in the area to offer a program allowing students to play a varsity sport while taking classes in the athletic training program.

One of the elements that make a team work well is having good relationships. Chris Crawford, director of MNU’s athletic training program and assistant professor, says he likes being able to develop relationships with his students. Class sizes around 25 instead allow him the chance to know his students, develop a relationship and relate to them as individuals.  He creates an environment of teamwork and family, resulting in well-trained, hardworking student leaders. In fact, Crawford’s young daughter refers to them as his “big kids”.

The students aren’t the only ones, who work hard. On top of his duties at MNU, Crawford is continuing his education toward earning a doctorate, and has developed a unique relationship with the Paralympics Swimming Committee.  As the director of their swim team’s medical program, he currently is serving with them at the Paralympics Games in Rio, Sept. 7-18.

Back in Kansas City, the quality of education MNU provides does not go unnoticed. The Kansas City Chiefs utilize internship opportunities with students studying in MNU’s athletic training program. Crawford wants to make it clear that his students earned these opportunities; “Yes, it’s a great that we have a connection with the Chiefs, but it’s the quality of the students that make it possible. Our students work for their internships.”

Alec Stahly at Chiefs
Alec Stahly (center background) is an athletic training intern with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2016 season.
One of those interns, Alec Stahly (’16), graduated with a dual major in athletic training and kinesiology. He was drawn to MNU for multiple reasons. He wanted to continue his baseball career, while enrolled in MNU’s athletic training program.

“I wanted to go to a university where I could express my faith freely and study the things that I was passionate about,” says Alec.  What he found at MNU were professors who taught him the proper way to do his job and mentors, friends and coworkers who helped him grow personally, professionally and spiritually.

Alec Stahly at Chiefs2
Stahly (background) is enjoying the work with Chiefs players Darrin Reaves, Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis.

Sam Riggs, senior athletic training major, from Raymore, Missouri, also interned for the Kansas City Chiefs during their recent training camp. Sam’s research uncovered only two other colleges in the Kansas City area with an athletic training program like MNU’s. He plans to complete his degree this December.

As a member of the NAIA, MNU’s athletic training students engage in hands-on learning with certified staff members early in their programs.  The education along with the real-world experience complement each other.

Sam Riggs Chiefs Training CampSam Riggs (right) follows Chiefs’ player Dontari Poe at training camp.

As Sam puts it, “MNU gives me that small school experience where I have opportunity for hands-on learning. With the Chiefs, I get to experience being on one of the biggest stages in the world and watch the behind-the-scenes operation of a large organization.”

The level of intensity of MNU’s athletic training program more than matches its rewards. Offering unique opportunities that combine individual hard work with synergistic teamwork results in top notch education and lasting personal and professional relationships.

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High Point Student Completes NFL Internship

Article reposted from Independent Tribune.com
Author: Independent Tribune.com

CONCORD – A High Point University student from Concord scored an internship with the Carolina Panthers during the team’s recent training camp. Lexi Dixon, a rising senior, is serving as an athletic training intern.

Dixon is assisting in field setup and break down, providing first aid care, ensuring players were well hydrated and assisting in post-practice evaluations and treatments.

Even while working with players such as Luke Kuechly, she is confident in providing quality care because of the preparation she’s received through her coursework at HPU.

“The Athletic Training department has helped me not only learn the material, but become a patient-centered clinician,” says Dixon, who worked with the linebackers. “This is done through the roughly 230 clinical hours we do a semester. HPU helped me be confident in my knowledge of the field and really helped me to make a lasting impression with the Carolina Panthers.”

Dixon connected with this opportunity through her professors at HPU, Dr. Yum Nguyen and Dr. Nancy Groh, who helped her land the internship through networking.

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Amanda Arakawa honored with Student Athlete Trainer of the Year award

Article reposted from Lahaina News
Author:

Amanda Arakawa, a 2012 graduate of Lahainaluna High School, will graduate on Aug. 13, 2016 from Stephen F. Austin University in East Texas with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fitness and Human Performance with a minor in Psychology.

The daughter of Doug and Lori Arakawa of Lahaina is currently enrolled as a graduate student in their Athletic Training Program to pursue her master’s degree.

In the past four years, Amanda has traveled many miles from all points in Texas and across several state lines in the South with the football team and women’s soccer team. This year, she was awarded a commemorative ring as lead trainer for the woman’s soccer team, which won the Southland Conference title.

In May, while visiting the Training Room at Lahainaluna, she was notified by LHS Head Trainer Jon Conrad that she is the first recipient of the Student Athlete Trainer of the Year award.

Amanda could not be present to accept in person her $2,000 scholarship awarded by Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Amanda thanked Trainers Conrad and Mikala Pino for mentoring her in high school and recognized Malia Shimomura, advisor of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) program at LHS, for directing her toward this major and career path.

Amanda plans to stay in Texas working for a high school, junior college or university.

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Eastern Illinois Students Interns with USA Volleyball

Article reposted from saukvalley.com
Author: Brian Weidman

Nicole Shaffer will have a special rooting interest when the United States men’s and women’s volleyball teams take the court at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Dixon resident, now a senior at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, had a hand in the teams’ preparation after doing an internship with USA Volleyball this spring. She was in Anaheim, California, from May 9 through June 17, working with the national teams on a daily basis.

Shaffer, who played 4 years of varsity volleyball at Dixon High School and 2 more at Sauk Valley Community College, is set to graduate from EIU in December with a degree in athletic training. Part of that degree requires her to do an internship.

She noted many prospective athletic trainers who graduate from Eastern do internships with NFL teams. That is something she was open to, but was not her first choice.

“I wanted to do something equally as big as an NFL team,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer got on her computer, Googled “athletic training scholarships,” and read an article about a girl from North Central College in Naperville who did an internship with USA Volleyball in Anaheim. She got on the job networking website LinkedIn to research USA Volleyball, and hooked up with one of the head trainers for the organization.

That trainer instructed Shaffer where to send her application. Shortly thereafter, she did a phone interview, and within a day, she got the job.

“I thought I completely trashed the interview,” Shaffer said. “I told my mom, ‘I’m not going to get this. My interview did not go well.’ But then they called the next day. I was like, ‘Oh, cool.’”

Shaffer was one of three student trainers to do internships, but while the other two only worked every other day, she was there every day for 6 weeks. Most days it was 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless one of the teams had a scrimmage somewhere. Then, Shaffer’s duties could extend well into the evening.

Those duties included getting the hydration station set up, ultrasound treatments, hooking up athletes to electrical stimulation units, stretching, massages, taping ankles, and folding mass amounts of laundry. She performs many of those tasks with athletes she works with at EIU, but it was taken up a notch on the eve of an Olympic Games.

“Every single one of them was amazingly nice,” Shaffer said. “I never had any issues with an athlete. They were all very kind, and they were all open to helping me learn, too. If I did something on them and they usually get it done differently, or if they wanted it a different way, they were capable of telling me that, but then letting me continue practicing on them.”

Shaffer is assigned a different sport each semester at EIU, and she has worked with track & field, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and rugby athletes over the years. Tending to world-class volleyball players is a different animal, however.

“The first thing I had to get used to was how tall all of them were,” Shaffer said. “My first couple of days, I’d look up, and these guys are pushing 7 feet. I would have to stretch them, they’re so heavy, and I’m just a little girl. Their whole leg was as tall as my body, and I’d have to lower the table all the way to the ground just to stretch them.”

For the women’s volleyball team, Shaffer was also able to observe the mental training team members were undergoing. The United States lost to Brazil in the finals of the 2012 London Olympic Games, and a rematch is anticipated in 2016 – this time on the Brazilians’ home turf.

“They’re doing a lot of mental toughness training just to prepare for that,” Shaffer said. “That was kind of cool to see. It’s like, ‘OK, we’re going to be completely out of our element because they have the gold medal from last time and now we’re in their home country.’ I’m really going to be rooting for them.”

The internship with USA volleyball was strictly a learning experience for Shaffer – completely on her own dime; she received no salary. After one night in a hotel, a friend reached out on Facebook to find out if there was somebody she could stay with for a while. She ended up living with the mother of a friend of a friend.

“I drove out there because I needed my car,” Shaffer said. “When I hit the California border, I was like, ‘I don’t have a place to live,’ and I started freaking out. It all worked out. I just put everything in God’s hands.”

For meals, she’d eat the same catered lunch the athletes ate, then she’d gather leftovers to eat later. It was about cutting down expenses – and soaking up as much knowledge as possible about being an athletic trainer.

She learned the USA Volleyball trainers are continually taking classes to improve at their craft. It’s something she plans to do wherever she ends up working.

“Wherever I go, I want it to be an environment where they’re open to continual education,” Shaffer said. “Seeing these treatments that I’ve never seen before, and how well they actually work on Olympic athletes, that was really interesting.”

Shaffer, who got bit by the athletic training bug by job shadowing Sterling High School athletic trainer Andi Sumerfelt, will return to EIU in a few weeks; classes begin on Aug. 22. In addition to her schoolwork, she’ll serve as a student trainer for athletes at Villa Grove High School this fall.

After that, she plans to earn a master’s degree in athletic training, at some to-be-determined university. Then it will be off to join the workforce full-time, and she’ll be able to draw on her experience of working with some of the world’s best athletes, and how they prepare to do their thing.

“Their job is to come in, get treatment, practice, lift, and take care of their bodies,” Shaffer said. “That’s their job, so it was really interesting to see how well our treatments worked within sports medicine, when the athletes are working equally to take care of their bodies.”

Shaffer file

High school: Dixon, class of 2011

College: Sauk Valley, class of 2013; Eastern Illinois, current senior

FYI: Set to graduate from EIU with degree in athletic training in December. … Did internship with USA Volleyball this past spring, and worked with men’s and women’s national teams. … Will serve as student trainer at Villa Givre HS this fall. … Played 4 years of varsity volleyball at Dixon, then 2 years at SVCC.

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Texas Rio Grande Valley Grad Finds NFL Internship

Article reposted from The Monitor
Author: Dennis Silva

As a football player at La Joya Palmview High a few years ago, Edwin Gomez became well acquainted with the athletic training room at the Lobos’ fieldhouse.

“With football comes injuries, so I was hurt a few times,” said Gomez, who graduated from UTRGV in May with a major in kinesiology. “One time I dropped a weight on my quad, and that’s where it really started. I got to know the rehab process, got to know the profession and from there I was attached. Any free time I had, I’d sneak off into the training room and learn a few things here and there.”

Gomez didn’t know it at the time, but he had found his calling. His passion for athletic training, specifically the process of helping an athlete recover back to full health, has landed him in Nashville, Tennessee. Gomez is on an athletic training internship with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, a long way from his time in Edinburg as an intern with the Vaqueros’ athletic training staff.

“Every opportunity is a great opportunity and I’m really thankful for the Tennessee Titans,” said Gomez, whose first day of camp with the Titans is Friday. “I came here to help other people get here as well. It’s not just for me. I’m trying to get this experience for my family and future colleagues from UTRGV. I’m trying to get the name out there.”

Dancing initially peaked Gomez’s interest; in high school, he danced folklórico. He earned a scholarship to dance Flamenco at the University of New Mexico, but left after a year to return home to the Rio Grande Valley after his grandfather died.

Gomez enrolled at UTRGV and got involved with its athletic training program under Jim Lancaster. For the next three years, Gomez received a first-hand tutorial on how to pay attention to detail and “never throw away the tape until you’ve used it all,” the latter a popular Lancaster adage.

Gomez worked with all sports except for soccer and worked particularly closely with the volleyball and baseball programs. Inquisitive and friendly, he was held in high regard by coaches, players and trainers. Gomez, 24, also handled a fulltime job to provide for his fiancé and daughter.

Former UTRGV athletic trainer David McDonald helped show Gomez how to apply for NFL internships in November. Athletic trainers Ashley Elwell and Andrea Chilcote assisted during the process as well.

Britt Brown, associate trainer and director of rehabilitation for the Dallas Cowboys, told Gomez about a scholarship for minorities that was available. Gomez applied and found out after spring break in March that the Titans had awarded him the scholarship.

“He is very motivated and ambitious,” said Elwell, Gomez’s supervisor with the UTRGV volleyball program. “He takes on a lot of responsibility in his personal life, but that never got in the way of things. He’s a quick learner, curious, and that goes a long way.

“Most students in internships with us don’t do these things like what Edwin is doing, so it’s refreshing when someone does. Students see it as a risk, but an opportunity like this pays off to be fearless.”

Gomez reported to Nashville on Monday. The internship lasts the entire NFL preseason; his final day is Sept. 5. His responsibilities include pre-practice rehabs, setting up and tearing down practice settings and working the sidelines during game days.

Gomez has run into running back DeMarco Murray and quarterback Marcus Mariota so far.

“I’m a little starstruck here and there,” Gomez said. “There is hope, and they’ve mentioned they (the Titans) do try and bring back seasonal interns the following year. My goal is to get to the NFL or a high-level college. I just love the grind.”

And he grinds to make a name, one Elwell feels will pay dividends for others who want to follow in Gomez’s tracks.

“A lot of kids who intern with us at UTRGV figure they’ll leave the program and just start working down here in the Valley,” Elwell said. “But it can lead to opportunities that are so much more. It’s about experiencing different places and different levels of athletics. You can learn so much more from that.”

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Southern Maine Students Have Banner Year

Article reposted from University of Southern Maine
Author: University of Southern Maine

2016 has been a year filled with academic accomplishments for students in the University of Southern Maine Athletic Training Program. The accolades and recognition continued at this year’s National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) annual convention in Baltimore.

Incoming-senior Athletic Training student Leah Dell became the first representative from USM to compete in the NATA national student quiz bowl. At the conference, she was also presented with the Larry “Stosh” Neumann Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society.

Dell, a student in the Honors Program and a resident assistant on campus, earned the right to compete in the national quiz bowl after winning the regional crown in January. The Jeopardy-style competition pits regional teams of some of the top athletic training students in the country up against each other, testing their knowledge of the field.

Falling short of the winner’s circle, Dell acknowledged that the competition was “challenging.” But she mentions that she was honored to compete and was well prepared, thanks to her USM education.

“I was honored to represent USM in the Quiz Bowl, and proud to compete on the NATA’s District One team,” mentioned Dell. “To me, the fact that I made it to the national level proves that you don’t have to go to a fancy private school or a big D1 college to get a good education and excel academically.”

Dell’s prowess for the profession was further demonstrated after she received the “Stosh” Neumann scholarship. Applicants for the award were judged based on a number of different categories, such as academics, service, leadership and a demonstrated commitment to the field of athletic training. The $2,000 prize is named in honor of the former assistant athletic trainer of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, who battled brain cancer.

Photo of USM Athletic Training student Leah Dell (middle) competing at the National Athletic Training Association's Quiz Bowl

This isn’t the first academic prize that Dell has claimed this year, either. She was presented with the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association (EATA) Kerkor “KoKo” Kassabian District One Scholarship at the EATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium in January.

“Being awarded this scholarship after I won the EATA scholarship has made me really grateful for the experiences I have had the opportunity to take advantage of. I have tried to do a lot while at USM and become active in my field, and this shows me I am on the right track,” stated Dell.

“I’m really thankful for that,” Dell added.

(Pictured above, middle: USM Athletic Training student Leah Dell participating in the NATA national student quiz bowl at the NATA annual convention in Baltimore)

Shelby Watts, an incoming senior in the Athletic Training Program, officially began her term on the NATA’s Student Leadership Committee (SLC) at the NATA annual meeting in Baltimore. Watts is the first USM student to sit on the NATA’s SLC.

“Serving on the SLC will allow me to expand my athletic training network, give me experience in a leadership role and allow me to experience more of an office type of role in athletic training,” Watts stated. “USM also has a phenomenal athletic training program which has allowed me to develop my clinical skill set and instill self-confidence in my abilities to successfully work as an athletic training student,” mentioned Watts.

The mission of the SLC is to represent and advocate for students, create and promote professional development opportunities and encourage student engagement in the athletic training community.

Watts will serve as the representative for District One, the New England region, for a one-year term. She first heard of the opportunity when participating in her clinical rotation with Matt Gerken, USM’s head athletic trainer. He received an email about the opening and believed Watts would be the right fit. Gerken encouraged her to apply, a move that’s paid off for Watts.

“I believe that I will represent District One well because I am not afraid to voice my opinions and would be more than willing to hear what other students would like to see done differently,” added Watts.

Watts will sit on the planning subcommittee, where she will have a hand in planning all student-focused sections of next year’s NATA meeting in Houston. Watts will be responsible for connecting with members of the athletic training community to find speakers for the 2017 convention while also coordinating student activities. All tasks Watts will have to take on while balancing her normal course load, her duties as a Resident Assistant on campus and her responsibilities as president of USM’s Athletic Training Student Association.

The extra work shouldn’t be too much of a burden for Watts, especially when considering the fact that she’s chasing her passion. Even before enrolling in sports medicine courses in high school, Watts knew she was interested in the athletic training field. “By taking (classes in high school) I became more and more confident in my desire to become an athletic trainer and pursue it as a career,” she said.

Watts believes that serving on the SLC will help to provide her with the opportunities needed to stand above her peers when preparing for the next chapter in her academic career — graduate school.

The accomplishments of Dell, Watts and others in the program continue to demonstrate the high-quality educational opportunities offered for Athletic Training students at USM.

“The array of student accomplishments across this past year highlights both the strength of the University of Southern Maine’s Athletic Training Program and the quality of the program’s student body,” said  Dr. Brian Toy, director of the Athletic Training Education Program at USM. Indeed, Southern Maine’s Athletic Training Program is producing the athletic training profession’s leaders of tomorrow.”

To learn more about USM’s Athletic Training program, click here.