WORKING UP A SWEAT TO KEEP HEALTHY

Gail DiPrete, left, watched Dr. William Thorpe, the team physician, as he checked out a knee injury.

Kris Ottensmeir, left, a student trainer at Southeast filled up water bottles at a football practice while Ed Finan and Gail Di Prete watched the players work out.

Shawn Pemberton, a baseball player, enjoyed a video poker game in the training room at Southeast while waiting on treatment for a sprain.

Being an athletic trainer on the collegiate level is not for everybody. In fact, it might not even be for a lot of people.

"The hours are usually pretty long. It's definitely not a 9 to 5 job," said Southeast Missouri State University's Gail DiPrete. "It's not a glory position and it's not a money position."

Then why does DiPrete seem so content and happy, even though she's generally going non-stop from 6:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. most days?

Simple. As far as DiPrete is concerned, the rewards of the position certainly outweigh everything else.

"The rewards are great," she said. "You're getting a chance to work with people and help people. When you help return somebody back to competition, that's very rewarding."

DiPrete, as Southeast's interim head athletic trainer, heads up a staff of 18 student trainers -- including graduate assistant Yvonne Logan -- who combine to cover the 13 intercollegiate sports that Southeast offers.

Southeast is currently in the process of hiring a head athletic trainer, having been without one since late July. Once a new head trainer is in place, DiPrete will resume her duties as Southeast's assistant trainer.

The athletic training department at Southeast performs a myriad of duties, all related to the care and treatment of the approximately 250 male and female athletes who participate in intercollegiate sports.

"There's not really a job description," said DiPrete. "We like to say we're a jack of all trades and a master of none. The list goes on and on."

Athletic trainers are present for practices and games of all Southeast teams. There are pre-practice treatments and pre-game treatments, such as taping of ankles and other various body parts.

Once practice begins, trainers are on the lookout for any type of injury or ailment that might crop up. The same goes for games, when the competition becomes more fierce.

If an injury does occur, a trainer must be able to make a quick assessment and evaluation. But DiPrete pointed out that trainers do not actually diagnose injuries. That responsibility lies with doctors and Southeast's trainers work closely with the school's physician, Dr. William Thorpe.

"As trainers we evaluate, but we're not allowed to diagnose," DiPrete said. "During a contest, if there is no doctor present, if an athlete is hurt, we have to decide several things. Can he or she return to the contest? If it's out of town, should we wait until we get home to see a doctor?"

Trainers also work with athletes who are rehabilitating injuries, both major, minor and everything else in between.

A hub of activity for trainers and athletes at Southeast -- in addition to the actual playing fields and courts -- is the new sports medicine facility that is part of the Marvin Rosengarten Athletic Complex on the Southeast campus.

The sports medicine facility offers state of the art equipment for the help in treatment and prevention of injuries.

"We have one of the nicest facilities in the Ohio Valley Conference," said DiPrete. "For a school this size, it's great. From 6:30 in the morning to 7:30 at night, it's busy in there."

Because of the sheer numbers of athletes involved, more injuries occur in football than in any other sport. For that reason, DiPrete and several student trainers work closely with the Southeast football squad, attending practices and games. Smaller groups of trainers -- usually one or two -- are assigned to the other sports on campus.

"Gail and the student trainers have done a great job," said Southeast head football coach John Mumford. "They're a very important part of the program."

DiPrete said injuries tend to vary from sport to sport, but some of the more common injuries involve the knees, ankles and shoulders.

"If I had to narrow it to one common injury among sports, I'd say knees," she said. "But it just all depends on the sport."

College trainers work closely with coaches. Often time, when an athlete is injured, how quickly he or she is able to return to action will have a major bearing on the success of that particular team.

DiPrete understands that. But she said her top responsibility is to the student-athlete.

"We want the coaches to win," she said. "But we're not here for the coaches. Our main concern is the athletes. We have their best interest at heart. Fortunately, our coaches here are good to work with."

Southeast athletic director Richard McDuffie says the training department is vital to the school's overall athletic program.

"It's a critical part of the program," he said. "Not only our full-time trainers, but student trainers are a big part of it. They're absolutely critical to what we do."