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Three UD students earn a shot at the pros
4:40 p.m., May 17, 2006--Three University of Delaware students are getting a shot with National Football League teams this summer but instead of throwing spirals and popping pads, they will be taping and bracing. Andrew Balick, Jonathan Boone and Derek Rivera of UD's acclaimed athletic training education program, which is one of the oldest such programs in the nation, have been selected for NFL summer internships during which they will work with the world's best football players through the rigors of training camp. Balick, a junior from Wilmington, will be working with the Houston Texans, Boone, a sophomore from Milford, with the defending National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks and Rivera, a sophomore from Camden, N.J., with the Buffalo Bills. Thomas W. Kaminski, associate professor of health, nutrition and exercise sciences and director of athletic training education, said the selection of three students as NFL summer interns is a coup for the program. "It is tough enough for one student to get a summer internship opportunity in the National Football League, or any professional sport for that matter, let alone three,” Kaminski said. “This speaks loudly to the quality of student enrolled in the undergraduate athletic training education program at UD." Kaminski added that he is "very proud that Andrew, Jon and Derek have gotten this opportunity” and “confident that they will pave the way for more of our students to become involved into the future." Balick said he thought acceptance into an NFL training camp would be a long shot and was “extremely excited” when he learned of the opportunity to work with the Texans. He will be with the team from July 24 until Sept. 3, and expects to work with the players by taping them up before practice and overseeing stretching and exercises. And under the hot Houston sun, he will provide liquids to make sure the players stay hydrated through the course of practice. Boone was doing a clinical rotation with the Fightin' Blue Hens football team when John Smith, an assistant athletic trainer, informed him of the NFL opportunity and encouraged him to apply. He was thrilled to have been accepted, he said, because “working in the NFL is the top of the line as an athletic trainer.” Boone's primary contact with the Seahawks is Donald Rich, who studied under Kaminski when the professor was at the University of Florida and who said the intern will handle taping and bracing, assist players with rehabilitation and help with daily treatments. “For rehab, I could be working with anybody, from NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander to a sixth round draft pick,” he said. The fact that the Seahawks are coming off an NFC championship and a trip to the Super Bowl “is just an added bonus,” Boone said. “I think it will make training camp an optimal environment to work in, but coming into every NFL training camp, I would think that everyone is going to work hard in hopes of making it to the Super Bowl.” Boone said his favorite NFL team is the Dallas Cowboys, which will be the first preseason opponent for the Seahawks on Saturday, Aug. 12. “That is just three days after my 21st birthday, and I couldn't ask for a better present,” he said. Rivera said that when he learned of the opportunity to join an NFL team, he “figured this would be a great experience, to work at a professional level.” He will join the Bills on July 23 and remain with the team until Aug. 28. Generally, he expects to assist the team's athletic trainers in the training room and at practice. He also will be involved with field set up for practices. UD has prepared him for the NFL experience with “a good hands-on program that gives you the opportunity to work with athletes,” Rivera said. “The certified athletic trainers are very good at what they do and are very helpful.” Boone said it has been especially helpful to work with the Fightin' Blue Hens football team. “Working with the football team has prepared me for the NFL just because I know what injuries to expect,” he said. “Football is a contact and high-impact sport, which means I will see a lot of traumatic injuries.” A rash of UD injuries last season “allowed me to see more aggressive rehab procedures, which I can expect to see in the NFL,” Boone added. Currently, he is in charge of the general training room at the Delaware Field House and is working with athletes who are undergoing rehabilitation, which will be helpful during the internship, Boone said. “My background in the UD program has allowed me to grow as a student athletic trainer and build my skills, both in the classroom and in the athletic training room,” Balick said. “I will represent UD proudly and assist with any task asked of me, and do so to the fullest of my ability.” Balick said the opportunity to work with an NFL team will expand his knowledge base. “I will get to witness first hand how they operate their training room and get a different viewpoint from that I'm used to here at UD,” he said. “I hope to learn as much as possible during my time in Seattle,” Boone said. “I am looking forward to learning different rehab protocols and anything that is done differently in Seattle than is done here at UD. If you ask 10 trainers to teach you an ankle taping, you will probably get 10 different ways to tape an ankle, and the same thing with rehab. I'm really interested to see various treatments and different athletic trainers' preferences.” ”I want to see how the NFL works,” Rivera said, adding, “I think this will be a great learning experience.” UD's athletic training education program is one of the oldest in the nation, having been started in 1972 and holding National Athletic Trainers' Association approved status from 1975 to 1994. When the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs began accrediting athletic training education programs in 1994, UD's major program was among the first in the country to meet the strict accreditation standards. Students enrolled in the athletic training major matriculate toward a bachelor of science degree while completing a minimum of 120 credit hours of theoretical and clinical coursework. Additionally, students involved in the athletic training education program are offered a variety of athletic training clinical experiences. A highly motivated staff of certified athletic trainers, physical therapists, team physicians, educational faculty and staff, strength specialists, and a cadre of health professionals from the community contribute to the students' overall clinical experience. Additionally, team physicians are actively involved with the educational process in both clinical and classroom environments. Currently, 35 students are enrolled in the academic major and they participate in clinical rotations with UD athletic teams as well as with teams from several area high schools, including Newark, Salesianum, St. Mark's, William Penn, Delcastle, Dickinson and Hodgson. Students also work in physical therapy clinics and rehabilitation centers. Article by Neil Thomas |
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