Inservice into a New Year

We were very excited to welcome our new graduate assistants, student athletic trainers, and other supporting staff into this new year at inservice.  This year we spent five days going over protocol, programs, and emergency action plans.  Our students all got certified and re-certified in CPR and First Aid.  We also had many other education opportunities such as going over proper procedures for spineboarding from Acadian Ambulance, intubation techniques from Danny Pyle of Fire and Emergency Training Institute, and installing our emergency action plans at each site.  We also went over goals and expectations from each of our preceptors and staff members. We are very excited to start this new year and have many new plans and goals ahead!

 

Batters Up!

The summer months in the athletic training room can quickly turn to a static routine of treatments, rehabilitation, and Conditioning. Luckily for our graduate assistant athletic trainers, Jack Marucci, Director of Athletic Training and Head Athletic Trainer for LSU football, offered to host the 1^st Annual Graduate Assistant Whiffle Ball tournament in his backyard, which he has turned into a ballpark. Marucci, who also happens to be the founder of The Marucci Bat Company™, has a passion for the sport of baseball, and invited the first and second year graduate assistants to face off in a friendly tournament one August evening. After great plays on both sides of the mound from each team, the series was down to a 2-2 split. In the end, the rookie graduate assistants prevailed and were crowned the victors. Congratulations 1^st years and stay tuned for the rematch.

Ladies in the League

The new school year is officially in full swing. Campus is alive with students again, the new graduate assistants are learning their way around town, and our students are settling into their clinical rotations. For six of our undergraduate students, the start of classes also meant the end of National Football League internships. Will Payne, Eduardo Godoy, Devon Bowie, and Derek Carter all had the opportunity to work with various professional football teams for six weeks during their summer vacation. Aside from these hard-working gentlemen, two of our female students were also interns for NFL teams. Tamaria Hollis was selected to work with the athletic training department for the Buffalo Bills and Derionne Brooks was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These two organizations are in the minority when it comes to hiring female athletic training students. Two women entering the professional football arena from the same undergraduate program is a testament to the education our students receive in the classroom and in their clinical experiences. Tamaria Hollis was shocked and slightly intimidated when she received the news of her acceptance. When asked about her experience she said, “I had the pleasure of meeting tons of great people and learning a little bit of everything from everyone.  From media interns to head athletic trainers, working for the Buffalo Bills was the best experience of my life. For six weeks I was a part of one of the greatest organizations there is in the National Football league and I am honored to have been selected.” While she did admit there were limitations placed on her because she was a female, such as assisting athletes in settings such as the locker room, she did not feel excluded or a less vital component of the athletic training team. Derionne Brooks had similar feelings about her experience with the Steelers. She enjoyed the opportunity to see how professional football organizations are run in comparison to the collegiate setting. “A typical day in the NFL was actually similar to working LSU football camp. Set up and treatments started at 6:30am, then meetings, walk throughs, lunch, taping, and practice. What surprised me the most was the environment. It was amazing to be able to see the differences in college and professional athletes and how they prepare for practice and take the initiative to take care of themselves,” said Brooks. While she and her two female coworkers did receive some extra attention from athletes and staff because of their gender, they were quickly able to earn the respect and trust they deserved. Thank you ladies for representing not only LSU, but also all female athletic trainers, in such an exemplary way and congratulation on a job well done to all of our NFL interns!

Alumni Reunite

Two of our alumni, former Athletic Training Student Jared Williams and former Graduate Assistant Derek Calvert, recently reunited in Philadelphia. Williams, is currently at the University of Maryland in College Park completing a Sports Medicine Fellowship as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with Baseball. He was accompanying an athlete to see Dr. Meyers at Vincera Core Physicians. Dr. Meyers has 25 years of experience in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of core muscles injuries. Calvert works along side Dr. Meyers as a Certified Athletic Trainer in the clinical and operating room setting. Williams and Calvert, who both worked with the LSU football team in 2012, were able to meet up thousands of miles away and share their more recent experiences since leaving LSU. It is exciting to see our alumni reconnecting in such a unique setting. This is just more evidence that the relationships built while at LSU carry on way beyond our campus gates...and that you are also networking at all times! 

Student of the Month

Congratulations to Meaghan Hussey, our student athletic trainer of the month for August! Meaghan is currently a third year in our athletic training program working with the LSU Football program. She has previously worked with LSU Track and Field/ Cross Country and also Women’s Basketball. Meaghan has always exemplified high qualities of leadership, dedication, and love for what she does. She is the president of Alpha Tau Sigma, our athletic training fraternity and also co-editor of Tiger Talk Newsletter. She always goes above and beyond what she is asked to do and has been a great asset to our athletic training family. Her graduate assistant, Taylor Spyker, describes Meaghan as “a phenomenal student who shows great maturity.” Taylor “can’t wait to see what Meaghan accomplishes not only for herself but for the profession.” Congrats again Meaghan!

A New Face in the Athletic Training Program

Meghan Reid, our new Assistant Program Director, has been with us now for a year.  She has done a great job and fits perfectly into our athletic training family.  Meghan is originally from St. Louis and went to undergrad at Truman State University.   She attended graduate school at Southern Illinois, where she was a graduate assistant for the softball and swimming and diving team.  After graduation she worked as a strength and conditioning coach and assistant professor for exercise physiology at Lindenwood University.  She worked with the softball, swimming, field hockey, throwers, and water polo teams.  She is now working at LSU and working towards obtaining her PhD.  She currently teaches Biomechanics, Organization and Administration, and a Communicable Disease class.  An interesting fact about Meghan is that she worked for the Disabled Athletes Sports Association (DASA) with athletes for two years.  Her client base ranged in ages from 6 to 55 years of age.  Some of the disabled athletes she was fortunate to work with were living active lives with conditions such as cerebral palsy, visual impairments, and amputations. What a rewarding opportunity it would be to assist those athletes reach their personal goals.  She is excited to further her education here at LSU and hopes to one day serve as a Program Director and Athletic Trainer in a University setting.