By Kori Kay Obert

Quincy University is known for having a large percentage of athletes on its campus. Almost half of the QU student population participates in NCAA Division II sports. With so many students participating in sports, a solid athletic training staff is necessary for the success of QU athletics. 

The training staff at QU is very well respected by the student athletes who need the training room and its staff. Men’s basketball player, Michael Sullivan, often goes to his trainer, DJ Elmore, when he is in need of some help to be prepared to play.

“The training room is great, and DJ helps us out with whatever we need; getting ankles taped before games and practices,” Sullivan said. “Also, if you get hurt, just regular wear and tear throughout the season, you can get stem treatment, you can get ice, cupped, you can really just get whatever you need so that you can be ready for practice and be ready to play.”

            The athletic trainers help out athletes as much as they can and end up getting to know the student athletes well along the way. QU athletic trainer, Patrick Griffin, trains for men’s volleyball, football, cheerleading, and the dance team. Because of the outbreak of COVID-19, almost all QU sports are currently in season due to them being postponed. 

“It can be stressful to manage all the sports, especially when they’re all in season,” Griffin said. “But you end up spending a lot of time with the athletes. It’s a professional relationship and I like getting to know the athletes.”

With multiple season’s going on at the same time, the trainers have to manage their time wisely in order to fulfill the needs of each sport. QU athletic trainer, Samantha DesJardine, trains for football, women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s tennis.

“It definitely gets stressful training multiple sports, especially this spring where everybody is going at once,” DesJardine said.  “It’s kind of hard to go back and forth because we have meets the same day and practices going on. Just trying to coordinate between the different sports is pretty tough.”

Spending so much time with each sport gives the trainers the opportunity not only to learn about the student athletes, but to learn about the sports themselves. 

“My favorite part about training is that every day is like a new day and you get to learn things every day,” DesJardine said. “Like tennis and women’s lacrosse are brand new to me this year so I’ve got to learn about those sports which has been a lot of fun.”

The trainers at QU are the heroes behind the scenes of Quincy University athletics. They make the athletes feel welcome and are always there to lend a helping hand to them.

“The training staff is great, DJ is always there to help us out, all the other trainers are too,” Sullivan said. “They’re always really nice and make us feel comfortable and they always do a great job and they’re always very, very helpful.”

National Athletic Training month is in March to celebrate the importance of athletic trainers. The athletic trainers at QU strive for the success of the athletes they train. Athletic trainer, Patrick Griffin, as well as all of the training staff at QU, enjoy helping out every athlete in any way they can.