August 12, 2014

Adding to the Family

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. 


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!





Inspiring to Save Lifes

After having the privilege of being able to assist in the aftermath of the tragedy at the 2013 Boston Marathon, a few LSU athletic training students needed to find some way to make peace with all they endured, both physically and mentally. In an effort to make good from evil, they spearheaded a new program whose origin came directly from the joint effort between the Boston Marathon Medical Support Team and the American Heart Association. This program called Hands-Only CPR, is a way to teach the basics of CPR (mainly chest compressions) to anybody with the idea that a bystander can initiate chest compressions…and that this act saves lives.


With the help of the Athletic Training Staff and donations from our local medical providers, we were able to offer the first of many Hands-Only CPR trainings to our incoming freshmen athletes. Tiger Hearts, a program that allows our student athletic trainers and staff teach student athletes Hands-Only CPR, has now been added to the LSU Summer Academic Success Program that is facilitated by the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes.  After going through this basic training, our student athletes can assist in saving not only their teammates life but anybody who may be in cardiac distress.  Derek Carter is the athletic training student that has been one of the driving forces behind bringing this program to fruition.  “We are happy to offer the Tiger Hearts program to all student athletes. This gives them the skills to assist others in the event of a life-threatening emergency.  Our hope is that Tiger Hearts helps to bring to light the importance of getting CPR certified and to show that almost anybody has the ability to initiate care when seconds count,” Derek said.  Under the supervision and guidance of our Program Director Ray Castle and Shelly Mullenix, Sr. Associate Athletic Trainer/Wellness Director, our athletic training students assisted in teaching our student-athletes what a truly useful and essential life skill this is.  We hope that the Hands-Only Tiger Hearts program becomes something that expands into our LSU community and beyond.



Maintaining Perfection


The Athletic Training Education Program at LSU prides itself on adequately preparing its students for not only their careers, but also their personal lives.  One example of a time where our commitment to each other and our athletic training success is evident is with the successful pass rate on the Board of Certification Exam and receiving Athletic Training Licenses.  We are proud to announce that, as of now, the 2014 graduating seniors have maintained perfection with the 100% pass rate “tradition”. For the fourth year in a row, the Athletic Training Education Program’s senior students have achieved a 100% pass rate and remain committed to continuing that trend for years to come.  We would like to congratulate Yuri Ashley, Sarah Bair, Devon Bowie, Derionne Brooks, Eduardo Godoy, Tamaria Hollis, Meaghan Hussey, Brendan Jacob, Dalton LaFrance, Ben Morale, Tebrisa Thomas, and Will Payne on passing their exams and becoming certified Athletic Trainers.  We are all excited to watch these talented students begin their careers and look forward to seeing where those careers take them.