March is National Athletic Training Month. To help celebrate we will spotlight some of the unsung and in some cases unseen members of the Benedictine University Department of Athletics throughout the month. The motto for 2002 is Providing Health Care Everywhere.

Up first is Assistant Director of Athletics - Sports Medicine and Performance, Nate VanRaden.

Why did you become an athletic trainer?
I started college as a computer engineer, and didn't enjoy it.  I wanted to pursue a career in sports that would allow me to help people.  My high school didn't have an athletic trainer, but I did some rehabilitation with an athletic trainer after knee surgery in high school which opened my eyes to the profession.
 
What is your favorite athletic training memory?
This is cheating, but I have a few. 

1. Working tennis as a student athletic trainer, our men's doubles team won the NCAA championship at Stanford in 2006.  Kevin Anderson from that doubles team is still playing professionally, has made two Grand Slam finals, and was ranked as high as #5 in the world. 
2. In grad school at Purdue, we played a football game at Notre Dame that I got to cover.  Notre Dame's band lines the tunnel during warm-ups.  Coming out with our team as the band blasted the Notre Dame fight song is something I'll never forget.
3. My first year at Benedictine, our men's basketball team went to the Final 4.  We got to practice at Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke).
4. A few years ago, we had a men's soccer player named Yair Ortega who sustained an injury early in the season that we didn't think he would be able to return from.  He worked incredibly hard, came back for senior night, and scored a goal.  It was incredible to see the look on his face after that goal.

Do you have any skills or specialties that you would like to highlight?
I have extensive training in concussion management, ACL prevention, and video throwing analysis.
 
The theme for this year's athletic training month is "Providing Health Care Everywhere".  During your experiences as an athletic trainer, what does that mean to you?
The traditional settings for athletic trainers are in high schools, colleges, and professionally.  Athletic trainers are in many additional settings.  Physicians are hiring athletic trainers to assist them, large corporations employ athletic trainers for injury prevention, and performing arts is an emerging setting.  Something that will always stick with me is how athletic trainers across the country were called on to respond to the recent pandemic, whether it was through conducting COVID testing, assisting with contact tracing, organizing vaccine clinics, or advising on policy.
 
What would your advice be to a student who wants to pursue a career in athletic training?
You need to learn how to talk to people.  One of our primary jobs is to be able to simplify things so that our athletes and their parents can understand them, while still being able to communicate with physicians.
 
What is something people don't know about you?
I've had 4 knee surgeries (torn both ACLs), I've run two marathons, and I'm trying to visit every MLB stadium (16 down).
 
Where did you grow up:
Forreston, IL (population 1400)
 
Favorite Movie:
Original Star Wars trilogy
 
Favorite place on campus:
Third base dugout of the baseball field.
 
Walkout song would be:
White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
 
Favorite food:
Sushi, steak
 
Favorite way to work out:
Running, chasing my children around
 
Favorite non-Benedictine sports team:
Fighting Illini Basketball
 
Alma Mater:
University of Illinois (B.S. '07)
Purdue University (M.S. '09)
 
Sports played:
Basketball