For those of you who don't know (which I didn't either until getting here), the Olympic Training Center (OTC) is actually built on a former military installation. Clearly it looks nothing like it used to, but the room that I'm staying in is actually an old barracks room, complete with brick walls. They've spruced it up over the years, but the same basic structure is there, and it's kindof like I'm back in college. Lucky for me, I don't have a roommate, which is unusual for here, but I'm ok with that.
Today was my first full day. I met a few people yesterday afternoon when I got in, and got some advice from the outgoing ATs who were just finishing up their rotation, but it wasn't really much of a work day. I decided to dress in my Torero blue to represent my Athletic Training roots. If it weren't for the ATs at USD letting me pretend to be one of the SDSU students so that I could get my hours to apply to grad school, I would never have been able to make it to where I am.
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| Go Toreros! |
I got an orientation when I got in this morning at 8:00, complete with a tour of the facilities. I found out that the only practices that are actually covered in the traditional sense are gymnastics and wrestling. The other athletes come in for treatments, but because those are the two main contact sports, those are the only ones that require an AT to be present. We went over the computer system for notes, basic ATR procedures, I did a treatment on an athlete's feet, reviewed my skills on an otoscope during an ear eval, we helped teach some of the sports medicine interns how to tape an ankle...and hung out a little bit in the ATR. The two other people on a volunteer rotation with me are a chiropractor and a massage therapist. There was supposed to be another AT, but she is apparently not showing up, so it's just me.
There are a few ATCs, PTs (physical therapists), MTs (massage therapists), and DCs (chiropractors) on staff, so we got to meet most of them in the afternoon. Some of the ATs are at the NATA convention in Vegas right now, so we'll meet them next week. Everyone seems really nice and great to work with. It's a weird dichotomy in the ATR, though. The volunteers are treated as professionals and just like any other in their respective profession, but we all have a feeling of needing to report to the staff members because they are the ones "in charge". But, there are no egos or checks and balances that need to be in place, so really it's just a feeling of being the temporary new kid on the block.
Wrestling should be back next week; they're on a break after World's last week, so I'm sure it will pick up a little then. However, I did get to cover men's gymnastics this afternoon all by myself, which I'll cover several more times while I'm here. I have always loved gymnastics, but it's a totally different experience to be 2 feet away as they practice on the pommel horse. The athleticism of those guys is just phenomenal. One of the gymnasts has the most pronounced muscle definition I've ever seen in a functional athlete (meaning that body builders don't count). I swear, I can almost see the muscle striations of his lats and traps from 10 feet away!
All the athletes that I've worked with so far have been really great. There are a mix of Olympians, Paralympians, and hopefuls for both that train here. There are also a lot of camps that go on here and other people who use the facilities. It's definitely intimidating to me in the practice sense, though, because they use A LOT of manual therapy techniques, which I haven't used since grad school (and some which I've never even heard of), so I will be learning a lot while I'm here.
And, my last point of importance to mention is that the food is awesome! It's a cafeteria-style dining hall, but with the healthiest food that you'll ever see in a caf. Every food, including desserts, has a print-out of the nutrition facts right in front of it, including whether it includes gluten, dairy, soy, etc. There's really nothing absolutely horrible for you to eat here, but of course some things are better than others. Their desserts are really hard to resist, though...lol
So, that concludes my run-down of experience thus far. It's a lot to read, but is about the shortest way that I could give details. All in all, I'm like a kid in a candy store and feel right at home for the most part. Although it's cool to say that I'm working with such high level athletes, I really can't help but just see them as people who are really good at what they do. But, that's part of being an Athletic Trainer. Inevitably, at some point in your career, you will probably run across a famous or future famous person. Keep the memories for always, but get the job done. I love what I do!
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