Personal Narrative: Michael S. Starnes Athletic Training

Suddenly I was in my school’s health center, surrounded by football players, each more muscular and coordinated than I, and each with a much more plausible reason for their injury. The observation left me smiling.

This step lays the groundwork towards my expertise in athletic training. My schooling provides the opportunity to acquire the experience I will apply to different circumstances in the future, and permits me the ability to test my proficiency of the situations. Education forms the way I will react to distinct situations. With this necessary information, I will not only be confident in myself , but I will also have the same confidence in the decisions I make. As time goes on, continuing education will be an essential component which will aid in remaining up to date with regards to revised treatment plans and enhanced

Among these strengths, I have some weaknesses and challenges I will need to overcome. Foremost among these is the physical side of the Service Academy lifestyle. I lack upper body strength, and I seldom hold myself to any rigid or intense training regimen. Because of this, I will have to overcome the physical barriers presented by the candidate fitness assessment and daily physical training at an Academy. To prepare myself for this, I have begun working out almost daily at home, focusing on my own personal weaknesses and striving to overcome the challenges they

I work as a gymnastics coach at Trousdell Gymnastics Center. It is a recreational center that provides programs for all Tallahassee residents, specializing in gymnastics and exercise. The goal of this organization is to provide a safe and affordable program that keeps the community fit and engaged. They offer recreational gymnastics classes for boys and girls of all ages. There are also preschool and kindergarten programs for the younger children. On the other end of the spectrum there are adult classes that teach gymnastics and overall fitness. In addition, the gym offers classes for children with special needs. Finally, Trousdell offers a competitive gymnastics program for exceptional boys and girls. Three Olympic gymnasts have come through this program. Trousdell Gymnastics Center is named after a former Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Director Randy Trousdell, a man passionate about his community and the health of its children. Since it’s opening over 60 years ago the gym has impacted 500,000 children’s lives. I coach recreational classes for girls ages seven to fifteen years old. I begin every class by leading an extensive stretch and then we go to the events of the day where I set up stations for gymnasts to practice different skills. I end every class with conditioning to help the gymnasts grow stronger so that they can perform skills successfully. Trousdell Gymnastics Center coaches have a responsibility to these children. It is our goal to make the two hours a

To satisfy my curiosity and gain a broad understanding of athletic training, I chose to interview my boss, Pete Stevens. Pete is employed by Physiotherapy Associates, a nationwide corporation that specializes in physical/occupational therapy, athletic training, and fitness/sports training. He has worked there for three years. He is currently the Head

Works in conjunction with other sports-related individuals, such as strength and conditioning staff, to create safe and effective exercise plans in terms of “fitness, nutrition and conditioning programs [that are] customized to meet individual student-athlete needs”.

Jason McElwain is an autistic basketball player who has always wanted to play on the varsity Basketball team. He was never able to until his senior year because he was diagnosed with autism at only 2 years old. His senior year he got asked to ba manager. The last home game of the season the head coach had told Jason that he might be able to play. Jason went in the game with 4:19 to go. He ended up scoring shot after shot after shot. At the end of the game he scored 20 points overall and was the team’s highest scorer.

Everyone has something they’re talented at, and many people have to try multiple things before they find their talent(s) that they have. As a child, my parents like many others had me participate in multiple activities. For example, I took dance classes, played a great amount of sports, and was a participant in many plays. In my freshman year, I tried running track and field. During the course of it, I developed shin splints and I proceeded to go to the athletic trainer. The athletic trainer here, Todd Korabek, has a system that works for the whole program. New injuries will see an aide, and that aide will then write up a card for them which lists their name, sport, injury, and body part. The aide doesn’t write the injury because only the athletic trainer can diagnose. After the athletic trainer treats all old injuries, he evaluates the new injuries, which happened to be me at that moment. Watching the aides assist Mr. Korabek really inspired me and his profession intrigued me.

The study of the human body and its movements has been present for centuries. While there has almost always been an interest in the human body and its way of working, modern technology and scientific discoveries have greatly aided modern medicine and research of human anatomy and physiology. These days, the study of medicine is far more extensive than many people understand, and those who want to pursue a medical field have great amounts of work awaiting. Athletic Training as a profession in this day and age involves extensive schooling, training, and focus when on the job.

Throughout my experience, I have accumulated more than 3 years, 800 hours, of hands-on athletic training practicum and 2 years as a Personal Trainer. With my recent Master’s Degree in Health Science from the University of the Incarnate Word, I am ready to begin a long and successful career with Baylor Scott and White in the Athletic Training department. My resume shows through my professional career I have been recognized and rewarded for my successes

For as long as I can remember, my profession of choice has been an occupation in the healthcare field. My dad often reminisces on when I was three when he would ask me “What’s your name?” I would reply with “Dr. Peppers.” Well sixteen years later my dream of being a doctor no longer exists, however my goal to become one of the best athletic trainers in the country is burning with passion. Growing up I wanted to be several different occupations like a trauma nurse, an obstetrician, or a physical therapist, before realizing after two years of high school sports medicine that athletic training was my niche. In coming to better comprehend athletic training as a career, my experiences in my classes and clinical here at Winthrop along with my high school experience in sports medicine has shaped my understanding of the athletic training world.

Olde Severna Park, Maryland, my bus comes to a halt, and gently veers into the collection of radiant green synthetic turf fields, and prestigiously constructed buildings which make up the Severn School campus. In the days since I was last here, so little has actually changed, but being in the upper school now, it seems to different. There are still the same deep red bricks, etched with names, forming the commemorative alumni walkway. There are still the same colossal 100 yard turf fields, lining the left side of the walkway, their radiating scent of sweat and plastic turf beads reminding me of all the good times that were had in my middle school days. On the other side of the Alumni Walkway, lay the magnificent Edward St. John athletic center,

In the final, and the most important section of the paper, the Concordia University Wisconsin Macrocycle is laid out with every detail, and generally workout concepts an athlete will participate in throughout the athletic year. After reading this portion of the paper, many parts of the macrocycle look very familiar to me, as I have already gone through them. What I took out of this that I felt was the most surprising aspect of the macrocycle, was how well thought out, and how far ahead the preparation is for the training of the university's athletes. The thing that I took out of this paper that I will try to take with me the rest of my athletic career, is that there is a lot of preparation and effort that goes into my training here, and these training programs are made for my benefit, so I should not waste the strength coach’s time by not giving it my all in the weight room, or not showing up at all. I will continue to follow the macrocycle for the rest of my career here at Corcyra, and hopefully it will take me to new heights in my athletic

The internship that I acquired during the summer of 2010 at the Greenwood Sports and Industrial Rehabilitation Center (GSIRC), allowed me to gain an immeasurable amount of experience during my tenure at this facility. Within this period, the exposure to new concepts within the physical therapy industry allowed me to observe and work hands on with patients of all ages and disabilities that exposed me to various treatment plans and programs to restore client’s mobility. The essential Physical Education and Exercise Science (PEES) courses taken at Lander University were beneficial to my academic knowledgebase, which prepared me and developed me for the opportunity within the physical therapy discipline. Working as

The Dartmouth Men’s Varsity lifts, which consist of the men’s varsity athletic teams and their lifting coaches, can be found at the Floren Varsity House Athletic Facility weight room from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday. In this newly built facility, this community of practice gathers with the goal of developing themselves physically and mentally through physical exertion. To participate in their workouts, players must be well-versed in a gym register and must dedicate themselves to mastering highly specialized movements. Together, these collegiate male athletes match in various outfits of black, green, grey, and white athletic shorts, shirts, shoes, and socks, visibly indexing them as a part of this community. Overall, the weight room environment is loud with blaring music and sudden shouts, hot in temperature, smells of sweat, and is filled with constantly moving bodies. During my observations of this community of practice, I found three patterns: brevity as the communicative norm, repetition as a physical and verbal theme, and lift partner relationships as the main source of interaction. My key informant, the head coach of the weight room, revealed that .