Sports is a big part of many students’ school experience. In fact, more than half of Allen Community College’s Iola student population are athletes, number 235 of the total enrollment on here this fall of 429.

Unfortunately, injuries go hand in hand with sports. When an athlete obtains an injury, the first person he or she reports to is the athletic trainer.

Athletic trainers must attend four years of college to earn a degree and become eligible for the work force. They play a big role of helping athletes overcome injuries and get back on the field.

At the beginning of the school year, Allen found itself without an athletic trainer. A successful search to fill the slot resulted in employment of Shane Venteicher.

Venteicher was born in Glidden, Iowa. He was very active as a child, participating in several sports. He loved being around sports. When he was old enough to attend college, he decided he wanted to be an athletic trainer. He attended Simpson College in Iowa to study athletic training. He then worked at Missouri Southern State University as a trainer on the football team.

Venteicher said he wanted to be an athletic trainer because “It’s my way of being around athletes and sports. I still wanted to feel the emotion of sports and what it was like to compete.”

When injuries occur in high school or college, usually the first person the student-athlete sees is the athletic trainer. The trainer will evaluate the athlete, and if the injury is serious he or she will recommend a doctor.

When asked how many people usually come to the training room a day, Venteicher said, “On average, probably fifty to sixty.”

Some athletes aren’t injured when they go to the training room; they are just receiving treatment to warm up their muscles before a game or practice. Other athletes are injured and do need treatment so that they can get back on the field as soon as possible.

Venteicher said the most common injuries in sports are sprains, such as ankle and knee sprains. His recommendation to prevent such injuries from getting worse is the RICE method: Rest, ice, compress, and elevate.

Venteicher said Iola, and Allen in particular, was a strong attraction for him when he elected to take the job.

“The idea of a community college pushed me to come here,” he said. “I want to help injured athletes get back on the field and gain strength so that they can pursue their dreams and play at the next level. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”