Tag: Buena Vista University

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Nick Long Named New Head Athletic Trainer at Buena Vista

Article reposted from Buena Vista University Athletics
Author: Buena Vista University Athletics

Buena Vista University and Director of Athletics, Jack Denholm, is pleased to announce the hiring of Nick Long as the new Head Athletic Trainer.

“The athletic department and coaching staff was very impressed with Nick’s vision and enthusiasm during the interview process,” says Denholm.   “We are very excited to have Nick join the BVU team.”

Long had been employed as an athletic trainer by Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Ga., and served as the head athletic trainer for all of the athletic teams at Peachtree Ridge High School since January of 2016.

A 2011 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training, Long continued his education at Valdosta State University (Valdosta, Ga.) where he served as a graduate assistant from July 2011 until May 2013 when he earned his Master of Education degree, Health and Physical Education.

During his tenure as a graduate assistant, he assisted in the day-to-day training coverage of football, women’s basketball and cheerleading teams.  He also assisted in the teaching of undergraduate athletic training courses and taught first aid and CPR to the general student population.

Long went on and became an assistant athletic trainer at Hendrix College in August of 2103 until December of 2015.  He provided the daily coverage of the football, lacrosse and golf teams and also had a hand in putting together a sickle cell treatment plan for current student athletes.

While at UNI, Long served as the senior athletic training student at Waterloo West High School where he went on to earn ‘Peer Mentor of the Year’ recognition.  He also spent time during the summer of 2010 working at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pre-season training camp.

“It is extremely exciting to be joining the staff at Buena Vista,” says Long.  “There was a great energy and excitement with everyone I met with during my interview.  It’s a tremendous staff as well a top tier Athletic Training Education Program, and I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.”

Long is a member of the National Athletic Trainer’s Association and holds certifications as a Board Certified Athletic Trainer, Performance Enhancement Specialist thru the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and is AED/CPR certified.

Long will assume his duties on campus on Tuesday, July 25.

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Beyond the playing field: Katie Bishop Buena Vista University

Article reposted from The Tack
Author: 

Katie Bishop is a graduate of Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training. She joined the Buena Vista University (BVU) Athletic Training staff as a graduate assistant working as a Certified Athletic Trainer, and is also currently working towards her Masters degree in Kinesiology and Sports Management.

“I was looking to continue my education, but also wanted to begin to incorporate my undergraduate degree in the real world. The Graduate Assistant Athletic Training position that BVU was offering allowed me to do that,” Bishop said. “I live in New Hampshire and was ready for something different, and let me tell you Iowa is definitely something different!”

Bishop’s experiences she carried over from Merrimack College include working with the Division II men’s basketball program along with the Division I men’s ice hockey program. She also spent time working at a therapy and chiropractic center along with a local high school.

Bishop’s favorite sport to have covered so far was the men’s ice hockey team she worked with. While covering the men’s ice hockey team she was able to travel to the big Hockey East programs such as Boston College, Northeastern, Vermont, and etc.

“There were many injuries that I saw that can only really be seen in hockey. The guys I worked with were a great bunch that made every day exciting. I might also be bias because hockey is my favorite sport,” Bishop said.

Bishop not only actively participated with the Athletic Training program, but she was a fellow athlete herself participating on the field hockey team at Merrimack College.

“I’ve been playing and around sports for as long as I can remember. I also had some serious injuries that allowed me to spend some quality time with my Athletic Trainers. I can relate with my athletes here when they have rough practices or injuries that prevent them from playing in a game,” Bishop said. “I’ve been in their shoes and for the most part know how they [the athletes] feel.”

Integrating into a new community and career can be tough. Bishop, however, says that the Athletic Training staff makes BVU feel like her home away from home.

“We all have different personalities and yet are able to mesh well together. Every Athletic Trainer we have here is relatively young and that makes it easier for us all to get along an have similar interests” Bishop said.

Bishop has been working with the BVU football team throughout the fall season and will also begin working with the baseball team in the spring. She will also be working the “rehabilitation rotation”, which involves working with athletes during the winter months who are returning from serious injuries that occurred during the fall season.

Junior wide receiver for the BVU football team, Tyler Oberreuter, is no stranger to rehabilitation after facing an ACL injury in a prior season. He enjoys having Bishop as the football team’s athletic trainer and her ability to care not only about the players’ health from an athletic training standpoint, but also from a personal standpoint.

“Katie is approachable and doesn’t ever hesitate to come up to someone and ask how they are doing. Going to rehab and seeing the same trainer every day allows for a friendly relationship that forms, which makes going to rehab that day a little less painful sometimes,” Oberreuter said. “Katie is a great athletic trainer and the football team appreciates everything she does for us.”

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Beyond the playing field: Dylan Peters

Article reposted from The Tack Online
Author: Shelby Bradley

Dylan Peters is a recent graduate from Augustana University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Athletic Training. He comes to Buena Vista University (BVU) joining the Athletic Training department as a graduate assistant in order to complete his certification of becoming an Athletic Trainer.

Peters coincidentally discovered BVU from an alum that was recently hired at Augustana by the name of James Day.

“One of the recent hires at Augustana came from BVU and only had wonderful things to say about it. Then once I saw the beautiful campus and lake, I was sold!” Peters said.

The BVU Athletic Training program always has high interactive activity with individual sports teams along with the athletes. Peters is currently working with the women’s soccer team, and will also assist the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams during their off-seasons.

“The most important thing about having an Athletic Trainer specifically assigned to a team is the rapport that is built between the Athletic Trainer and the athlete,” head women’s soccer coach Sheena Van Roekel said. “At BVU, we’re pretty lucky to have the Certified Athletic Trainers that we do. They’re invested in the athletes and the improvement of their physical health and even educate them while they work through the process of treatments or rehabilitation.”

Head Athletic Trainer, Dominic Worrell, reiterates the importance of Athletic Trainers developing relationships among the various athletic teams on campus. Athletic Trainers are able to personalize their treatments based on their condition and goals by allowing athletes to become more comfortable when interacting with them. Worrell claims it makes the process of evaluating issues and injuries go much more smoothly enabling Athletic Trainers to address them more quickly.

“Dylan has stepped in and done an excellent job so far. It is a difficult transition for many people to take on the independent role as a Certified Athletic Trainer. Dylan has done well to find a balance of handling cases with autonomy and then asking for help when difficult cases do present,” Worrell said.

Coach Van Roekel and Worrell both spoke highly of Dylan and his ability to create a unique perspective for athletes and other Athletic Training students.

“Dylan has taught the ladies [women’s soccer players] what it means to fully trust and believe in someone that wants to take care of them. He has done a great job of finding a way to understand each of our ladies’ personalities and who they are,” Van Roekel said.

Worrell added, “Dylan also brings another unique perspective and skill set for our Athletic Training students to learn from. He has done well to keep our students actively engaged and involved in athletes’ cases.”