The Advance

Issue date: 10/20/06 Section: Sports

At Kansas Wesleyan University, most athletes start their day at the athletic training office to receive treatment of any aches, pains or sores that need to be stretched, heated or iced before or after practice or a game.

The athletic training staff treats athletes in every sport, from football, to soccer, to volleyball, to cross country Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.

Chad Shriver, the head athletic trainer at KWU who has spent five years as the head trainer, spends most of his day and week in the athletic training room.
"It varies on sport seasons," states Shriver. "During the summer (the trainers) put in five hours a week when the athletes aren't around doing administrative duties. During football season, we could be putting in 12 to 14 hours a day." Shriver also states that during game day, they could put in 12 hours that day for seven days a week, 19 weeks straight.

According to Shriver, being an athletic trainer isn't just about wrapping ice bags and ankles. There is also a lot of education required to an athletic trainer. "Four years is pretty much what it takes to be a head athletic trainer." He also states that someone also needs to get a master's degree to help with the education aspect.

Shriver and his athletic staff treat about 120 athletes daily starting in the fall. Late in the fall semester, he drops to about 85 athletes. "It does take a lot of time," Shriver comments. "Time management is the key. Scheduling well in advance makes the job a lot easier. Time is a big deal and you have to make a lot of sacrifices during some seasons but in other seasons, it gets a lot easier."

The athletic training department at KWU has an Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) for students majoring in athletic training.

"Right now we have fifty majors in the athletic program." Shriver states about the ATEP. "The ATEP program is fairly new here at Wesleyan, being accredited in 2004. When we first started the program, there were six (majors) and it is growing over and over and it is just exponentially growing faster and faster.

The KWU athletic training program website gives a list of requirements to be in the program. It first states that a student must have completed 40 documented hours under the direct supervision of a certified athletic trainer.

In addition to that, a student must complete a personal and community health course (HPER 120), HPER 148 first aid and CPR for the professional rescuer, HPER 256 Care and prevention of athletic injuries, as well as BIOL 221 and 222, Human anatomy and physiology with a minimum of a "C" letter grade or better.

Students before entering the program must interview with the program director and the head athletic trainer and finally have an admissions application completed by May 15 in order to be admitted into the program the next year.

The students also put in a fair amount of time into the program. According to Shriver, he stated that the students probably put in three to four hours a day and no more than 20 hours a week. On game day, however, the students can volunteer to do more time, but usually it's not a great deal of hours on the students' part.

"It's a very hands-on job." Shriver describes. "They work along side of an athletic trainer doing their observations. In addition, on their levels, if they're a sophomore, they're doing skills that you have been taught recently. As you become a senior, you're learning about modalities and the education of what to do in certain injuries. At the same time, you're practicing that with your education."
In addition to being an athletic trainer, Shriver couldn't be happier about his job. "It's the greatest job in the world." He describes. "If you want to be in athletics, even if you're not athletically fit to be a division one or a professional athlete, there is always a need for athletics. If there is an athletic program, you have to have an athletic trainer."
Shriver concludes by asking, "What other job do you get paid for to sit on the sidelines and care for athletes that are competing at a high level and get paid to stand on the sidelines of a division one football team? You get to be right there in the mix of it all."

Even if a person is not fit to be an athlete, there is always a need in the sports world for an athletic trainer, and behind every great athlete is a great athletic trainer there to take care of him or her.

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