National Athletic Training Month is held every March in order to spread awareness about the important work of athletic trainers. These health care professionals in the field of sports medicine specialize in preventing, diagnosing, and treating muscle and bone injuries among athletes of all ages.
The athletic trainers who serve the U.S. National Teams are critical in helping our athletes perform at their best. Athletic trainers are usually the first ones on the field to render assistance to an injured athlete, and often the ones helping to oversee rehabilitation programs to get injured athletes back on the field.
This year, we asked several of our USA Lacrosse National Team athletic trainers why they decided to pursue this profession.
Amber Radtke
U.S. Women's Field Team
“I tore both of my ACL's playing soccer in high school. Those experiences sparked an interest in sports medicine. I fell in love with athletic training because every day is different and there are always new challenges. The most rewarding aspect is watching someone through the recovery process, seeing them at their worst and then back to their best. I had the opportunity to work club lacrosse in college which started my connection with the sport. Lacrosse has been a thread throughout my career.”
Tim Happel
U.S. U20 Men's Field Team
“I am an athletic trainer because it is a fast-paced field, working with an active population and it is extremely rewarding. I had the desire to work with USA Lacrosse because it has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA in some fashion and lacrosse is a sport I have grown to love over my career, so it was a perfect match.”
Elizabeth Hollenczer
USA Lacrosse and the National Team Development Program
“I pursued athletic training because I always felt like the human body is the coolest thing and no one uses the body to its highest possibility quite like athletes. I stay in athletic training because every athlete deserves to have someone in their corner whose priority is keeping them safe, healthy, and performing their best.”
Kellie Abendschoen Loehr
USA Lacrosse Head Athletic Trainer and National Team Development Program
“I got involved with the athletic training club in high school after growing up as a competitive swimmer and wanting to find a job that kept me in athletics. I feel fortunate to have found a career early in life that I enjoy so much and am so passionate about. My goal is to provide the best experience for everyone who walks through the door. I want to make sure that whether it's another athletic trainer, a coach, or the athlete themselves, that they enjoy their time with the sport and want to keep coming back. No matter if it's an athlete who has picked up a stick for the first time or one of our national team or professional athletes, I love watching the excitement as they walk through the door and prepare to play the game they love. As my own kids now start to play the sport, I hope I can create a similar experience for them and keep them healthy and playing for a long time.”
