Contributing to a Championship Culture

Championships are rare; that's what makes them special. To win, teams must get superior contributions from everyone involved. This necessity does not include just players and coaches. Members of a team's support staff must also be outstanding, and this is particularly true of athletic trainers.

Four graduate assistant athletic trainers will be graduating from Bowling Green State University this weekend. As a group, they will leave behind a championship legacy that any school would envy. Each of the four worked with different teams at BGSU, and they all participated in MAC championship efforts.

MAC Championship Rings - mjc photo taken May

Rob Whitehurst, a native of Norwalk, Ohio, was on the staff of the Falcons' baseball team, which won the 2013 MAC Tournament. He also worked directly with women's soccer.

Barbara Battaglia, who came to BGSU from Chicago, Illinois, earned a regular season championship ring with the 2013-2014 women's basketball team. She also served the health and wellness needs of the men's and women's golf teams.

Mike Newman hails from Lebanon, Ohio. His contributions helped the 2013 football team win 10 games and BGSU's first MAC championship in 21 years. He also assisted with the track and field team that featured NCAA championship participant Brooke Pleger.

Sally Miller arrived at Bowling Green after attending West Virginia University. She has worked as an athletic trainer for several Falcon squads, including the 2012 MAC Tournament champion volleyball team.

These four individuals carried the title of graduate assistant, but they each played vital roles for their respective teams. "They're doing the same job that a person at a bigger school might be getting paid much more to do," women's soccer head coach Lindsay Basalyga said. "They have the same time commitment and pressures. Finding the person who embraces this opportunity is really important. They look at themselves as professional athletic trainers, and that really plays into the success we've had."

They are students first, but graduate assistant athletic trainers often work hours beyond those of a typical student. Full-time does not mean 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., either; it means all day, every day. Women's basketball head coach Jennifer Roos said, "They're on-call 24/7 for every person involved in our program, from coaches who may have an issue to every player who has a health issue."

The athletic trainers are there when a player sustains an injury and guides them through rehabilitation, but they do so much more. According to Basalyga, Whitehurst was also responsible for scheduling doctor's appointments, taking athletes to and from appointments and surgery, communicating with parents and acting as a liaison between players and coaches. How important is this? As Basalyga said, "If players aren't healthy, you're not winning championships."

This level of commitment unquestionably takes passion, and all four of the soon-to-be graduates chose to get into this field because of their love of sports and interest in medicine. Whitehurst stated that he wanted to find a way to stay involved with competitive sports, while Newman took a sports medicine class in high school that blossomed interest. Battaglia discovered the field while an undergraduate at Xavier, and Miller also had a strong interest in sports medicine.

According to Basalyga, this level of passion is vital, because it creates a great working relationship. The players also feed off that energy. "The more you're invested, the harder they're going to work for you, and I think the same is true in the training room," she said. "Athletes are going to want to rehab, push themselves and get back on the field if they know that the person they're working with genuinely cares about their health and success."

This connection helps build a bridge of trust, and with personal issues such as health at stake, trust is a vital part of building team success. "It's hard as a GA to get to know a team. You often have to jump right in. Sometimes, the first day we get here, the season has already started," Battaglia said. "The players have to come to you with personal information, and you have to know how to handle it appropriately."

Basalyga and Roos both agree. Basalyga notes that the trust that develops from an athletic trainer's passion because the players and coaches know that the trainer's involvement comes from caring and investment in the team's success. Roos believes that a trainer cannot provide the care needed to be successful if they do not have the faith of the team.

This weekend's graduates are just as passionate about Bowling Green as they are about their duties. Both Whitehurst and Battaglia had personal connections with other students that drew them to BGSU, while Miller and Newman were attracted to the Falcon family by the close-knit athletics staff.

The dedication displayed by these graduate assistants, who operate anonymously behind the scenes, is unmistakable, but so is pride they take in being part of the developing championship culture at BGSU. Whitehurst said, "I feel fortunate to have worked with a team that achieved such great success. It would have been a great experience without it, but that success really capped it off. I enjoyed the entire journey, only one team gets to win."

There's also pride to be taken in being part of the behind-the-scenes effort. "It's very rewarding. You know that you played a vital role, and the athletes give us some recognition to show their gratitude and appreciation for all we do," Miller said. "They understand the hours we put in. Even if the fans don't, the athletes do. It makes us feel welcome and really part of the family."

Whitehurst added, "If I can look at myself and say that what I did that day helped things move along in the right direction, I'm pretty happy."

Commitment, trust and selflessness are all part of the budding championship culture at Bowling Green, and both the graduates and the coaches see it taking place. Roos said, "We've been very fortunate with all the success that all the teams have had, and everyone is working hard to continue that success and raise the bar."

"It's a culture that wants to win and is definitely on the rise," said Newman. "I think we're going to see Bowling Green on top of the MAC for a long time."

Whitehurst, Miller, Battaglia and Newman are now all set to leave the Falcon nest for professional opportunities. The job hunt for new graduates is never easy, but each has a strong desire to continue their careers in athletics, either at the high school or collegiate level.

The success of these four graduate assistants is a fantastic display of how ingrained the desire for success has become within Bowling Green athletics. The have set a high bar for their successors to aspire towards, but that is a positive. As new athletic trainers arrive at BGSU and reach for that bar, the opportunity for more championships will only be enhanced.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics

Contributing to a Championship Culture

Related News

Related Videos