Students interested in the health side of athletics are lucky to have a fully-staffed training room right here on campus. If hired, they can spend their days working with student-athletes and professional trainers, attending practices and tending to injuries. This position is open to students, whether they are involved in athletics or not.
Tatiana Rebanal ’26 has been playing basketball her whole life, continuing her athletic career here as a point guard for Lewis & Clark’s women’s basketball team. When she is not practicing or at games, she works in the training room, helping other athletes with injuries, as well as performing upkeep tasks.
“A big benefit of working with athletic trainers is having a better understanding of my own injuries, how best to help myself with a current injury and to prevent future injuries,” Rebanal said over email.
Student workers can be tasked with anything from filling water jugs for practices to taping wrists and ankles. They assist with athletes’ rehabilitation and recovery before, during, or after practice. Rebanal works two two-hour shifts per week, on average.
“(The training room) provides a larger sense of community among the athletes on campus,” Rebanal said. “Being in and around different sports’ athletes creates stronger relationships and better rapport with those you may not have otherwise had.”
Rebanal has had a great experience learning from our four professional full-time trainers and describes the feeling in the training room positively.
“The work environment in the training room is easy-going but also a safe space to learn and make mistakes. Athletic trainers are happy to teach any task (taping, assisting with evaluations, etc.) and coach and guide student athletic trainers with each process.”
Jack Venegas ’26 had family connections with Jeremy Loew, LC’s head trainer, which is how he got involved in the work. He is in his third year of working in the training room. Currently, he works an average of 13 hours per week due to the rigorous fall football schedule.
“I work a lot of the football shifts — a lot of that is getting there about an hour before they practice and filling two ten-gallons of water,” said Venegas. “Then, the players will come in and get taped or do their treatments. It’s kind of a rush of all of them at once. That’s a lot of what (we do) during the fall.”
Working as a student trainer has helped Venegas find his passion — he feels athletic training is in his future.
“I’m enjoying (my psychology major), even though I want to do athletic training as a career,” said Venegas. “Psychology courses don’t quite line up with the requirements you would need for athletic training school, but I can see the carry-over in how much you’re interacting with people who are experiencing a wide range of emotions and feelings.”
Despite not playing a sport here at LC, Venegas has played sports throughout his life, including baseball in high school. He feels that student training, along with his work as the baseball team’s student manager, has allowed him to stay close to what he loves, as well as build valuable relationships with other students.
“You get to know (student athletes) a lot better and become friends with them,” said Venegeas. “It has definitely created a positive community, it’s people you can talk to — if you’re in a class together, it’s helpful to know somebody. You can also learn things from each other.”
The training room is a valuable resource to any student-athlete here at LC, offering minor injury rehabilitation and treatment. For students interested in athletics and looking to gain experience in the health field, be sure to keep an eye out for student trainer openings.
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