New Equipment for Athletic Training

Clarke University has a soaring population of athletes. With the number of athletes that Clarke holds, the athletic training team and equipment are a necessity. Katie Langmeier-Schweigert is one of the five members of Clarke’s athletic training staff. With the help of thirteen pieces of new equipment and a new space, the athletic training at Clarke remains top-notch.

Clarke holds five members of their athletic training staff. These members include four full-time members and one graduate assistant, all having over a year of experience at Clarke. Our full-time training staff includes Katie Langmeier-Schweigert, Catherine Scheve, Francesca LaTorraca, and Katie Lindsay. Griffin Mulcahy is our graduate assistant in athletic training. Langmeier-Schweigert, the head athletic trainer, is going on her sixth year at Clarke. The remaining full-time trainers have been here for three to three and a half years with the graduate assistant currently being in his second year.

With the standard of athletic training Clarke would need and the number of student-athletes we have, the athletic training equipment needs to be stellar. According to an interview done with the head athletic trainer, they purchased thirteen new pieces of equipment. This new equipment includes eight new treatment tables, four taping tables, and stools. They also acquired mat flooring that will be installed in the old racquetball room.

The new treatment tables have options to lift the backs and individual legs. According to Katie Langmeier-Schweigert, this feature on the tables is helpful for elevation and comfort during injuries. Katie also said, "the taping tables we have had in the past weren’t truly taping tables, so having multiple will make taping easier and faster for athletes and has more storage than we had before." The biggest change will be the new rehab area, which will be located in what used to be the racquetball room. The mat flooring and extra space will make it easier for the countless rehabs going on with Clarke’s athletes. Katie explained that these new pieces of equipment were purchased with money raised during the annual athletics golf outing this summer with the beneficiary being athletic training enhancements.

This will help bring the Clarke Athletic Training to a new level and lays a foundation for the athletic teams to be successful. Athletes will now have even more options for treatment and a better environment for recovery or to come back from injuries.