As we begin another exciting year at LSU, we are pleased to
announce that we have added two very talented women and one very talented man
to our Athletic Training staff. We are
excited to welcome Mallory Mickus, who will be working with LSU gymnastics and
Hannah Roudebush, who will be working with Women’s Volleyball and Sand
Volleyball. We are also excited to
announce that one of our previous graduate assistants, Josh Pratt, has
accepted the position of Drug Prevention Coordinator. In the hopes of getting
to know our new staff members better, we asked them some questions about how
their athletic training careers started and the things they have learned along
the way.
Mallory Mickus grew up in Chicago, but moved to LSU from Bloomington, Indiana.
Mallory Mickus grew up in Chicago, but moved to LSU from Bloomington, Indiana.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an Athletic
Trainer?
A: After taking an athletic training class my junior year of
high school and volunteering in the athletic training room, I decided to pursue
a career in athletic training.
Q: Where did you do your undergraduate studies and what
sports did you work with?
A: For undergrad, I went to Indiana University in
Bloomington, Indiana. Total, I worked
with 11 sports…6 my sophomore year, 4 my junior year, and 1 my senior
year. My senior year I spent with the
football team.
Q: What was the most valuable thing you learned in
undergrad?
A: In undergrad I learned the importance of having a
positive attitude no matter what the circumstance as well as the value in
saying thank you.
Q: Was there one person you looked up to in particular that
was your roll model or mentor, and how did they influence you?
A: I’ve been blessed to have multiple mentors as my athletic
training career has evolved. My two high
school athletic trainers, Mr. and Mrs. Stento, first introduced me to the
sports medicine world and always supported me along my journey. Head athletic trainer at Indiana University, Joe Lueken, has also been an invaluable role model and mentor for me. I can credit my strong work ethic, loyalty to the profession, and my passion to teach to these three wonderful people and athletic trainers.
Q: Where did you go to Graduate school and what did you
receive your master’s in?
A: I received my Master’s Degree in Higher Education from
Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. I
was the graduate assistant athletic trainer for the women’s gymnastics and
swimming and diving team at ISU.
Q: Lastly, what do you look forward to most starting here at
LSU?
A: I look forward to combining my passion for athletic
training and the sport of gymnastics, working with a highly regarded sports
medicine staff, and continuing to be a preceptor to undergraduate athletic
training students.
Hannah Roudebush, who is from Noblesville, Indiana, also
took the time to answer some questions for us.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an Athletic
Trainer?
A: I first knew I wanted to an athletic trainer my senior
year of high school when I took an elective sports medicine class. I volunteered in the athletic training room
and worked with the men’s soccer team at my high school. After that, I was hooked!
Q: Where did you do your undergraduate studies and what
sports did you work with?
A: I went to Purdue University for undergrad and worked with
football, tennis, swimming and diving, and volleyball.
Q: What was the most valuable thing you learned in
undergrad?
A: The most valuable thing I learned in undergrad is that
you have to be hands-on when learning skills in athletic training. The best way to learn is to actually practice
the skill on someone.
Q: Was there one person you looked up to in particular that
was your roll model or mentor and how did they influence you?
A: I really looked up to my head athletic trainer in undergrad,
Denny Miller. He has accomplished a lot
in the field of athletic training and was a great leader for our program.
Q: Where did you go to graduate school and what did you
receive your master’s degree in?
A: I went to West Virginia University for graduate school
where I got my Master’s Degree in Athletic Training.
Q: Lastly, what do you look forward to most starting here at
LSU?
A: I am very excited to be starting my career at LSU, and I
feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be apart of the LSU athletic
training family as well as work with an outstanding volleyball staff and
team.
Josh Pratt our Drug Prevention
Coordinator is from Batesburg, South Carolina and worked with Track and Field
and Cross Country during his first year as a graduate assistant. He ended his graduate assistantship working
with Women’s Tennis in his second year.
This is what Josh had to say about his athletic training education and
career and his new position.
Q: Where did you do your undergraduate studies and what
sports did you work with there?
A: University of South Carolina. I worked with Track and Field and Cross
Country, Swimming and Diving, Women’s Soccer, Irmo High School, Campus
Recreation, and Football
Q: What did you get your master’s degree in at LSU?
A: Sports Management.
Q: What advice would you give those aspiring to be Athletic
Trainers?
A: I would say volunteer for everything and try to be as involved
as possible to get a variety of experiences.
You need to be able to set yourself apart from all the other athletic
trainers when pursuing jobs and graduate assistantships. So, get out there and get involved and get
experiences that can build your resume.
Q: What do you look forward to most as LSU’s new Drug
Prevention Coordinator?
A: I look forward to the opportunity to continually modify
and improve the LSU ADAP program so that it can provide the best guidance and
assistance to all of the student- athletes at LSU.
We are all very excited to have these talented Athletic
Trainers joining us here at LSU. As you
can tell from the question and answer sessions above, they will be very
valuable assets to our program and a lot can be learned from them!