Velezercise

Working as a College for 25 years, it is great to see former athletes go on to do great things in life and in their careers. I had the privilege of being Billy’s Athletic Trainer for his college basketball career with Lenoir-Rhyne MBB . He loves basketball and now he is in his 2nd year on Virginia Men's Basketball staff. Thank you for giving me and my family an amazing tour of the basketball facilities today. Proud of you Billy Bales !!! 🐻🏀

My trip to Houston was very impactful for me. I enjoyed meeting and interacting with coaches, mental health clinicians and fellow athletic trainers over the last couple of days at the Inaugural College Athlete Mental Health Conference hosted by . I have gained some valuable takeaways that I will bring back with me to implement with . Thank you to Dr. Emmet Gill and staff for putting on such a quality event. I highly recommend this conference to any colleague who serves as a college athletics healthcare administrator and/or serves on their respective Athletics Mental Wellness Committee at their institution. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the mental health needs of college athletes and athletic trainers are often provided the opportunity to serve as a conduit to getting the help needed. We are teammates with coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, and mental health clinicians in supporting our athletes.

I also had the opportunity to visit the . As a resident of Florida’s Space Coast and employee it was cool to see what the visitor center had to offer and really cool to hear about and see a picture of Sunita Williams. I am proud to work at a university that is connected with the space program and to have worked with scholar-athletes who go on to do big things in their lives and careers.

Looking forward to representing by attending the Inaugural Athlete Mental Health Conference at University of Houston next week. Excited to meet new colleagues from multiple disciplines in the college setting along with gaining valuable takeaways to optimize the scholar-athlete experience.

This morning I ran the Eye of the Dragon 10K which is my longest race since running a Half Marathon in April 2019. I signed up 3 months ago, and Iwill admit that my training wasn’t consistent during the holidays and then battling with sinusitis for a few weeks to start the new year. The last 3 weeks I ran a few times a week with no extra training. Today, I went in with the plan of not shooting out of the gates and enjoying the run , each time I climbed the bridge to keep my feet moving , and finish strong with what I had left in the tank. My goal was to complete it in 1:05 or less. I am happy to say that I was able to execute my plan and I finished in just over an hour! If I consistently trained, I probably could’ve run closer to my original goal of 55 minutes. I am thankful to have out there to support me! Today’s experience inspired me and I look forward to continuing my fitness journey! 🐉🌴🏃🏻‍♂️🏅

Jumping on the trend to throw it back to 2016…. This was a pivotal year in my career when I was provided the opportunity to start the Strength and Conditioning department at my Alma Mater. So thankful for my colleagues, coaches, student-athletes, interns and students who were part of this process. As an and , I have always been passionate about the value of collaboration to optimize sports performance while promoting injury prevention. I am proud to be a part of such a great network.

Today, I got recognized for 5 years of work and Pete Mazzone 40 years. I have known Pete for 22 years since I started my first stint in 2003.. I am thankful that Pete hired me iin 2020 to lead ! It was an honor celebrate our milestones today! Congrats on 40 years Pete!

Views from my morning run around Waikiki, HI

This is the second time I have stayed in Hickory, NC with a Florida Tech team, and my friend from fed my team. I go back at least 15 years teaming up with Rob to fuel teams I worked with for during my time as an and . I not only appreciate Rob for talents and nutrition knowledge, but he also a close friend. It’s always awesome to catch up! Thanks again Rob for feeding tonight! Looking forward to being back at the Alma Mater this weekend!

Excited to be attending National Athletic Trainers’​ Association Clinical Symposium in Orlando, FL this week! There’s a lot of value to in person, networking, and re-connecting with colleagues. I am proud to be an and looking forward to building my knowledge as well as having fellowship with those I share this profession with.