Shelby Bradley | Sports Co-Editor
Katie Bishop is a graduate of Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training. She joined the Buena Vista University (BVU) Athletic Training staff as a graduate assistant working as a Certified Athletic Trainer, and is also currently working towards her Masters degree in Kinesiology and Sports Management.
“I was looking to continue my education, but also wanted to begin to incorporate my undergraduate degree in the real world. The Graduate Assistant Athletic Training position that BVU was offering allowed me to do that,” Bishop said. “I live in New Hampshire and was ready for something different, and let me tell you Iowa is definitely something different!”
Bishop’s experiences she carried over from Merrimack College include working with the Division II men’s basketball program along with the Division I men’s ice hockey program. She also spent time working at a therapy and chiropractic center along with a local high school.
Bishop’s favorite sport to have covered so far was the men’s ice hockey team she worked with. While covering the men’s ice hockey team she was able to travel to the big Hockey East programs such as Boston College, Northeastern, Vermont, and etc.
“There were many injuries that I saw that can only really be seen in hockey. The guys I worked with were a great bunch that made every day exciting. I might also be bias because hockey is my favorite sport,” Bishop said.
Bishop not only actively participated with the Athletic Training program, but she was a fellow athlete herself participating on the field hockey team at Merrimack College.
“I’ve been playing and around sports for as long as I can remember. I also had some serious injuries that allowed me to spend some quality time with my Athletic Trainers. I can relate with my athletes here when they have rough practices or injuries that prevent them from playing in a game,” Bishop said. “I’ve been in their shoes and for the most part know how they [the athletes] feel.”
Integrating into a new community and career can be tough. Bishop, however, says that the Athletic Training staff makes BVU feel like her home away from home.
“We all have different personalities and yet are able to mesh well together. Every Athletic Trainer we have here is relatively young and that makes it easier for us all to get along an have similar interests” Bishop said.
Bishop has been working with the BVU football team throughout the fall season and will also begin working with the baseball team in the spring. She will also be working the “rehabilitation rotation”, which involves working with athletes during the winter months who are returning from serious injuries that occurred during the fall season.
Junior wide receiver for the BVU football team, Tyler Oberreuter, is no stranger to rehabilitation after facing an ACL injury in a prior season. He enjoys having Bishop as the football team’s athletic trainer and her ability to care not only about the players’ health from an athletic training standpoint, but also from a personal standpoint.
“Katie is approachable and doesn’t ever hesitate to come up to someone and ask how they are doing. Going to rehab and seeing the same trainer every day allows for a friendly relationship that forms, which makes going to rehab that day a little less painful sometimes,” Oberreuter said. “Katie is a great athletic trainer and the football team appreciates everything she does for us.”
Photo courtesy: Emily Kenny
