he may not have been a shining star on the playing field, but he now shines in the weight room.
Josh Wildeman chuckles when he describes himself as a young student athlete at Evansville's Mater Dei High School. "I was a late bloomer, undersized and I was average. But I had a lot of determination." As a hopeful football and baseball player, he credits a volunteer strength and conditioning coach as an inspiration for his career. "He didn't care if you were first string or second string. In the weight room, it was based on the work you put in on yourself—very controllable factors."
Before coming to the University of Southern Indiana, Wildeman was an advanced physical education and social studies teacher at Castle High School, where he served as the strength and conditioning coach for the athletic department and worked as an assistant coach for the football team. He began coming to USI in 2014 to teach at night as an adjunct instructor in the Kinesiology and Sport Department. A year later, that part-time job led to his current full-time instructor position where he quickly found himself back in the weight room with student athletes. Today, as the designated head strength and conditioning coach for the Athletic Department, Wildeman concedes that strength and conditioning has changed a lot over the years. The emphasis on the muscle mass of power and strength has given way to developing lean muscle mass, gaining flexibility and increasing stamina. "The weight room is a very egalitarian system. You're judged on how hard you work."
The weight room in the old PAC was woefully small. Only a few members of a team were able to work out at a time in the space. Tucked away in a corner of the building, it was dark and uninspiring. When plans for the new Screaming Eagles Sports Complex came to fruition, Wildeman jumped at the chance to make the weight room a showcase. He, along with Athletic Director Jon Mark Hall and Director of Facility Operations and Planning Jim Wolfe, toured other college athletic facilities to observe the flow of the rooms and the versatility of the weight equipment. Their visits included schools in both Division I and Division II athletics to ensure the new weight room fit the needs of USI's student athletes.
The new weight room has greatly expanded from what it was in the PAC. Gone are the days of resetting a small room multiple times for multiple athletes' needs and multiple sports. Now, entire teams practice together inside and outside the weight racks, with three sets of every bar and dumb bells at their disposal. In his 21st-century weight room, Wildeman relishes the energy and camaraderie of working in a high-intensity environment. "I love helping athletes realize their potential and gain the mental and physical toughness that accompanies rigorous training."
"No one wants to sit out a game."
When Laura Heline trots out to the field to help an injured athlete, she does so to the cheers of the other student athletes there to support each other . "Yay Laura! We love you, Laura!" She smiles and shakes her head. "Yes, I hear them, but choose to ignore them. I'm there to focus on my athlete." Heline doesn't bask in the glory—she's there to do a job.
A former student athlete in softball and soccer, Heline feels like she can relate to her student athletes. "I was injured, too. No one wants to sit out a game. There's a lot of frustration in missing out. "
Heline concedes that student athletes are much different now than when she played in high school and college. "In middle school they become specialized in one sport. Travel sports have really changed student athletics, too. I really have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, students become really good at one sport. And on the other hand, they over use and wear out that one set of muscles used in that sport," she says.
A former Screaming Eagle herself, Gabi Korte feels like an aunt to her student athletes. Once a USI soccer player, she finds that she can relate to her students on different topics, which makes them easier to treat. Having injured her ACL during her sophomore year, Korte can relate to the students who injure themselves similarly. She knows first hand how it feels and how cupping and needling combined with rehab helped her get back on her feet as a student athlete. Usually it takes six to eight months to recover from an ACL injury, which can seem like a lifetime to an athlete.
The most common injury athletic trainers see are sprained ankles and tendonitis from over use of one muscle group. The inflammation that accompanies tendonitis requires a long-term treatment.
Originally from Grandview, Indiana, and the newest athletic trainer on the USI staff, Hannah Brown spent time at Georgia Tech and with the Indianapolis Colts. Looking around the new facility she is working in, Brown admits it is probably a little nicer than the one at her former Division I university "That one opened up in time for the 1996 Olympics. Now it's a little old," she explains. Brown spent a lot of time working on football players and will be transitioning forward to treating the chronic injuries, such as overuse versus the chaotic injuries which commonly come out of football.
Athletic trainers carry out rehabilitation programs for injured athletes. They specialize in preventing, diagnosing and treating muscle and bone injuries and illnesses. All three of the athletic trainers of USI come from a sports background. Two of them had injuries as student athletes which inspired them to become athletic trainers. The new facility in the Screaming Eagles Complex offers the trainers space that is a far cry from the closet-sized one used in the PAC. The new SEC space even provides large hot and cold tubs, taping tables and specialized areas for recovery rehab.
Despite all the new equipment, the athletic trainers enjoy the hands-on aspect of treating the student athletes. "I love the rehab process," says Heline. Korte was inspired by the process of her rehabilitation when she was a player (which Heline was a part of) to get her graduate degree in athletic training. Brown also prefers the hands-on process of getting an athlete ready to go back on the field or court. "The reward is be able to get them up to keep them moving ."
Two of the new practices used to get student athletes up and active sooner is dry needling and cupping. Dry needling is frequently compared to acupuncture, but it is actually more focused on muscles and tendons, allowing a deeper treatment of injuries. All three of the athletic trainers at USI are certified to do the dry needling treatments which keeps students in house and removes the need for them to travel for care. Cupping and instrument assisted soft tissue work (scraping) has similar effects but is more superficial. It is used when student athletes are looking for instant relief from over worked muscles.
making wise decisions about food choices
Beth Young was always interested in sports. Through middle school and high school she dabbled in softball, volleyball, color guard and dance. It wasn't until her job as a dietitian in worksite wellness until she come in contact with serious athletes. After working with people training for marathons and triathlons, she began to see how proper nutrition was another part of making an athlete successful. She began contracting her services at local high school athletic programs and sports teams, designing meal plans. From there, Young began helping at the collegiate and professional athlete level. Once she came to USI, she saw student athletes needed extra help to figure out the time and balance they needed to fuel themselves and to do so on a budget. She became a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics.
Just like each sport has specific exercises that go into training, student athletes also have different dietary requirements to keep them strong and healthy. "You usually don't realize how bad you feel until you feel really good," says the Instructor in Food and Nutrition at USI. "Student athletes are more motivated than the general public. They will do whatever changes they need to give themselves a competitive edge."
Young meets with the coaches to develop plans for a team's season. Goals may involve menu planning and shopping lists to developing a healthy body image. Young also works with three senior level dietetic students to conduct sweat studies in the weight room. In these sweat studies, they measure the amount of sweat a student athlete lose after a work out and calculate the amount of hydration they need to be at peak performance.
Upper level dietetic students planned the cooking class held for this year's softball team. The dietetic students created the recipes, quantified the amounts, put together nutritional analysis of the meals and snacks and did it all on a college student's budget. The team rotated from station to station under the watchful eyes of the dietetic students and learned how to make two simple dinner entrées, a lunch and a healthy snack.
"With sports nutrition there are differences not only between men and women, but also with age and the type of sport. For example, the endurance of a soccer player versus the endurance of a cross country runner and the power of a softball player," says Young. Travel nutrition continues to be a popular topic for the student athletes. Student athletes spend time sitting in buses going to away games. Sedentary for sometimes hours, coaches are concerned about the fuel athletes put in their bodies before a game. "We definitely talk about healthy options that coaches and trainers can pack for athletes on the bus, and I teach the athletes what they can personally pack themselves for the bus and in the hotel. I also educate about what are the healthiest options for fast food and sit-down restaurants while on the road. But sometimes," reflects Young, "they are at the mercy of what limited restaurants are available on the road, so we try to teach them to make the best choice with what they are presented with."
Preparing Athletes for game night
As a former baseball player, Justin Ahlbrand knows the importance of the familiar phrase, "Practice makes perfect." As the Manager of Athletic Facilities and Operations, he and his team of student workers make sure student athletes are well-prepared for game night.
Trying to work with coaches, student athletes and faculty teaching in the old PAC and the new Screaming Eagles Arena during construction made for creative scheduling and lots of patience. "It sure created a lot of challenges for almost two years," says Ahlbrand. Now, those days are a distant memory. What hasn't changed since the opening of the Screaming Eagles Arena and Screaming Eagles Complex is the amount of laundry Ahlbrand and his 12 student workers do for the athletes. They wash towels, practice uniforms and game day uniforms. That alone is a standout offering for a Division II university. At many other Division II universities, student athletes wash their own practice gear.
Being a former student athlete at USI gives Ahlbrand some insight on how coaches think and work. They all have the same goal in mindem dash—to have successful seasons and successful athletes. He works with coaches in various areas from facilitating practice times to setting up for games.
“The hospitality we try to provide here at USI is one of the many ways this department stands out amongst other Division II universities. We are always looking for ways to make it a good experience for the visiting team. After all, it's all about the student athletes," says Ahlbrand. Coaches often tell him that many other Division II campuses are not as hospitable as USI works to be for their visiting teams. Officials have also commended him on how nice the people and the facilities are at USI. "USI is setting a precedent in Division II athletics," he says.
"As a former student athlete, I get to watch all the student athletes all day long. I get the privilege of celebrating their successes with them. I remember those days," he adds.
A place where you Celebrate everybody's wins
"Hey good luck this weekend, guys!" Holly Delph and Angie Goebel call out as they walk down the stairs in the Screaming Eagles Complex past USI student athletes. Three cross country runners wave in return, thanking both women. The best part of working in the SEC is the sense of camaraderie. On game days, it's one big family. "We all celebrate everyone's wins," says Goebel.
After the Children's Learning Center closed, Delph transitioned to Athletics. "Still dealing with kids and their parents," she chuckled. Delph manages the student scholarships and how they're applied. Scholarships are important to student athletes since many of them can't work due to the hours they put in at practice, strength and conditioning, games and travel. For student athletes, the very aspect of being an athlete is a part-time job. "It's amazing how they can study on those buses like they do," says Delph. She considers Financial Aid Director Caleb Fendrich a valuable resource when dispersing scholarship money. At games, she makes time to talk to the student athletes' parents at games about scholarships. By the time a student athlete is a senior, it feels as if they and their parents are part of the greater USI family.
Since 2012, Goebel has managed 17 varsity teams' traveling, expenses and the ticket office. After a travel day, her desk is awash with receipts and invoices to reconcile. Game night will see Goebel preparing tickets and managing the ticket office. Although game nights add an extra boost of excitement on the third floor of the Screaming Eagles Complex, it makes for a long day, usually straight through without a lunch. While 4:30 p.m. sees most employees heading home, on game days, this time sees Goebel heading down to the ticket office to start preparing for the night. Delph also takes up position at the gate scanning tickets.
The entire Athletics staff attends the Spring Archie Awards Banquet, which recognizes the academic and athletic accomplishments of USI student athletes from the previous year. Among the awards presented are Male and Female Screaming Eagle Pride Awards, the Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year awards and the Student-Athlete Voted Archie Awards. "It's a fun night. It's neat to see [the student athletes] all dressed up for the night. The awards were given out virtually last year on the GLVC Sports Network," says Goebel.
Graduation can be a happy time for the students, but it's sad for the sports. "We have students who are such good leaders. I wonder whose going to replace them, whose going to be that team mom or dad, taking care of their teammates. And someone always does. The tradition continues," says Goebel.
Credits:
Barbara J. Goodwin