Tag: Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University Partners with Local Hospital for Athletic Trainers

Article reposted from The Spectrum
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Southern Utah athletes will be getting more help on the sidelines.

Intermountain Sports Medicine, a division of Intermountain Healthcare, announced Wednesday that it has signed a three-year contract with SUU’s athletic department to provide a certified athletic trainer at all SUU athletic and team events.

“With a strong focus on student-athlete wellness, we are excited to partner with Intermountain Healthcare and subsequently elevate all aspects of our sports medicine vertical,” SUU athletic director Jason Butikofer said. “This strategic alignment will undoubtedly impact our program in the near term and beyond.”

SUU’s director of sports training Ricky Mendini will remain in his position, and SUU’s two current full-time trainers (Zac Wilson and Angela Calicchio) will become employees of both SUU and Intermountain Healthcare, Butikofer said.

With the agreement, SUU will add two additional full-time athletic trainers to the staff. With more manpower, the hope is that the training staff will be better able to assist injured athletes at the time of injury and through the recovery process. The partnership will provide more resources for hurt athletes to receive better care.

“Most athletics events don’t go without injury, and so properly addressing those injuries and getting athletes back to the field of play in a safe manner is our highest priority,” Intermountain Southwest Region Sports Medicine Manager Rhett Farrer said.

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Southern Utah Repeats as RMATA Quiz Bowl Champions

Athletic trainers are experts in evaluating, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries resulting from physical activity. Southern Utah University’s Athletic Training Program educates and provides opportunities for students to become immersed in the practical application of these skills.

At the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association annual symposium in April, SUU’s athletic training students won the athletic training quiz bowl defending their title from last year beating 27 other teams from throughout the western United States

Speaking of the experience, recent SUU graduate Ashley Torok said, “SUU won last year, so our team felt the pressure of returning the trophy to our university. My group was able to work together really well, so when it came to questions we weren’t positive on the answer we were able to communicate and brainstorm.”

This victory comes from the knowledge and training students receive from the exceptional faculty and staff in the athletic training program. Nathan Slaughter, athletic training director at SUU, said he is proud of his students’ hard work.

“As professors, we spend a lot of time ensuring that the students learn and know what to do in a situation,” said Slaughter. “We don’t educate them for the certification test, we don’t educate them for the quiz bowl—we educate them because they will be taking care of someone’s kid. It’s not about becoming a personal trainer or helping someone get bigger, faster or stronger. We are strict and tough in the classroom so they know how to save a life.”

Students recognize this hands-on approach to learning as invaluable, especially the personal interactions the students experience with SUU’s collegiate athletes. Smaller classroom sizes and more interaction with the sports teams lend a unique and beneficial learning experience to students accepted into the athletic training program.

Jessie Smith, recent graduate and another team member competing at the national competition, commented that the teachers are a huge reason students are successful.

“It was evident throughout my education how much my professors and mentors cared about my success and that played such a crucial role in who I have become and what I will go on to do,” said Smith. “That doesn’t happen everywhere – SUU is a special place full of educators who have small enough classes to dedicate time and attention to each student’s needs.”

The students who won the District Bowl and plan on representing SUU in Baltimore for the national convention are: Brittany Goldberg (Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training), Jessie Smith (Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training), Jessi Thomson (Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training), Ashley Torok (Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training).

The team of four graduates will compete at the National Athletic Training Association’s convention from June 22 through 25 in Baltimore, MD.

 Read more: KCSG Television – Defending Champions Athletic Training Students win consecutive year at Annual Symposium
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Southern Utah Grad Reflects on World Series Win

This year, for the first time in 30 years, the Kansas City Royals won the World Series — on Nov. 1 the team completed an extra-inning comeback in Game 5 against the New York Mets.

In the middle of the celebration at Citi Field stood a very proud Southern Utah University alumnus, Kyle Turner.

“I was ecstatic to make it to the majors,” Turner said. “It was a lifelong dream and to finally get there and achieve a goal that you set out forever, it’s amazing. You watch the World Series on TV growing up and to actually get there was incredible.”

Turner played four years of Division I baseball for the Thunderbirds.

He graduated in 1998, and is now entering his fourth season as assistant athletic trainer for the Royals.

The path to the World Series had many stops with training stints at Northern Oklahoma College, seven seasons with the Texas Rangers working in different capacities and two seasons with the Royals as the club’s minor league medical coordinator.

Turner credits his time at SUU as a “building block,” and the education he received laid the foundation for his career.

“Anyone who works in the athletic training profession must possess a good work ethic because of the demands of the job,” said Ricky Mendini, associate athletic director at SUU. “Kyle has always exemplified that quality. He is an outstanding individual who has been a credit to the university and to the athletic training profession.”

Mendini said with the price of fame comes much time and effort and there are not a lot of people who can put that time in to move up to the next level.

“It takes a lot of perseverance and dedication to one area to break the barrier into the major leagues,” Mendini said. “Most people don’t hear about the long hours, the bus rides, or the time on the road away from family. I am proud of Kyle, as I am of all my former students who work in the profession of athletic training.”

In his current role with the Royals, Turner’s responsibilities are endless but his overall objective is the day-to-day maintenance and care of the players, sometimes to the point he is unable to even watch the games.

“The most rewarding part about my job is helping a player that has been hurt and then working with him to get him back out there competing at high level,” Turner said. “Knowing you played a key part in that is almost as rewarding as winning the World Series.”

Turner’s mother-in-law, Gabrielle Strand, AmeriCorps program specialist at SUU, credits Turner’s success to his personality.

“He is very personable and well-liked by the players,” she said. “He is patient, hardworking and knowledgeable.”

Follow Haven Scott, @HavenWScott. Call him at 435-865-4522.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/cedar-city/2015/11/28/suu-world-series/76509512/