UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 9, Page 12
October 27, 1994
Trainers play important behind-the-scenes role

     When the Fightin' Blue Hens football team takes to the field each
Saturday, another team waits on the sidelines, ready to offer help if
needed.
     This group most likely will not be mentioned in news accounts of
a game, but their performance can make a major difference for athletes
on the field.
     This highly specialized team includes students enrolled in the
athletic training program of the College of Physical Education,
Athletics and Recreation, and five certified professionals in the
Department of Physical Education- Keith Handling, head trainer and
associate professor; Joan Couch, assistant professor; Sheila Fees and
Tody Decker, instructors; and graduate assistant Melissa Sedlak.
     Their job is to help athletes maintain their optimum level of
performance and to apply the proper treatment if an injury should
occur. "We are the first line of defense if an athlete gets hurt,"
Handling said.
     Treatment ordered by these trainers can range from placing an ice
pack on an injured knee to helping an athlete off the field and into
the locker room.
     "We assign students to work in all sports, including both the
high-risk and low-risk sports," Handling said. "It is mostly seniors
who work the football games."
     On football Saturdays, trainers are at work before most of the
tailgating public arrives, stocking the water coolers and mixing the
sports drink players will consume during the heat of the game.
     The next task-fitting the players with protective pads and
applying tape where needed-begins about mid-morning. After the taping,
splints, spine boards and other pieces of equipment that may be needed
to treat potential injuries are taken to the field.
     The athletic training program at Delaware is highly competitive.
"There are 100 freshmen competing for just 10 sophomore positions,"
Handling said.
     Once accepted, students must complete a course in anatomy,
physiology and injury prevention and recognition, as well as studies
in administration, education and evaluation. Students also work in
physical therapy clinics to broaden their experience.
     "Some of our students get up to 400 hours of clinical training
each semester, "said Handling. "They put in as many hours here as they
would on a full-time job."
     "One of the hardest things about being a trainer is time
management,"senior, Wendi Galloway said. "Between classes and
training, I spend most of my time here."
     Galloway also worked as a trainer in high school in West Orange,
N.J. "I was always interested in medicine, and I always loved sports,"
she said. "When our high school trainer came around asking for
volunteers, I volunteered."
     After she graduates in January, Galloway said she hopes to land
an internship and enroll in a master's degree program next fall.
     Many students in the program received their first exposure to the
discipline of athletic training as a result of sports-related injuries
during their high school careers.
     "I have always been interested in sports," senior Jennifer Drum
said. "I hurt my knee in high school and, as a result, I spent a lot
of time in the training room."
     Originally a physics major, Drum, said she is happy she made the
switch and plans to study biomechanics in graduate school.
     "I would like to work at a college as a teacher and a trainer,"
Drum said.
     Lisa Schmalbach's involvement in athletic training grew out of
injuries she received as a high school swimmer.
     "The high school trainer recommended I enter a week-long training
clinic," Schmalbach said. "After that, I began looking at Delaware's
program. I didn't want to go anywhere but the University of Delaware."
     After graduate school, Schmalbach said she would like to work
with persons with disabilities. She plans to major in athletic
administration or adaptive physical education.
     Brian Goodstein was impressed with the work done by his high
school trainer in Piscataway, N.J.
     "My high school trainer was able to rehabilitate me from a knee
injury in time for the next wrestling season," Goodstein said. "That
got me interested in sports training."
     Goodstein, who eventually plans to work in a sports-care clinic
after graduate school, likes the idea of helping athletes return to
their sport.
     "I like the knowing that I actually helped somebody get better,"
he said, "and that I helped an athlete to recover and play again."
     Helping to keep athletes on the playing field requires dealing
with injuries that may show up after the game has ended.
     Trainers for the football team spend part of their Sundays
treating the bumps and bruises that happened Saturday but didn't show
up until later. The dedication of students in the athletic training
program extends beyond the regular school year.
     "Students come back to the University two weeks early, often
leaving paid jobs," Handling said. "We couldn't provide the training
and support we give our athletes without them."
                                                         -Jerry Rhodes