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Athletic Training Facilities
With the number one goal being prevention, University of Idaho Student-Athlete Services provides not only equipment, strength and conditioning and preventative athletic training measures, but coordinates with sports nutritionists and sports psychologists for the overall well-being of Vandal student-athletes.
“We approach our jobs first from a prevention standpoint,” head athletic trainer Barrie Steele said. “But injuries do occur in athletics and when they do, we make sure our student-athletes receive the finest in immediate and follow-up care. When they return to competition, our goal is to have them in better condition than before the injury and with a reduced chance of re-injury.”
Making the job easier for the Steele and the Idaho Student-Athlete Services staff was the total overhaul of the athletic training and equipment room areas over the summer of 2008. The locker rooms received a ‘facelift’ of new flooring and tiling, while two new individual team rooms, one new computer lab and one auditorium-style meeting room were also added.
After the renovation, the equipment room nearly doubled in size. Totally new washer/dryer systems cut hours out of cleaning times, while a new ‘cubby’ equipment system greatly streamlines the equipment check-out process. The athletic training area was also expanded greatly, with new offices, larger work areas, and private exam rooms. Then enhancements have given Idaho’s athletic trainers more room to work with and have greatly expanded its capabilities for in-house treatment and rehab.
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Idaho student-athletes have a state-of-the-art way to train and rehabilitate injuries with a HydroWorx therapy pool, located on the second floor of the Vandal Athletic Center.
"Aquatic therapy is one of the most versatile tools that we have, not only in rehabilitation, but in injury prevention and training," Idaho head athletic trainer Barrie Steele said. "We’ve been able to train people in a nearly weightless environment, which is one of the unique and best ways of doing it."
The weightless environment helps injured athletes train earlier in their rehabilitation processes and also provides a low-impact training environment for athletes who have problems with certain dry-land training activities.
Four video cameras are installed underneath the surface of the pool and the feed from those cameras appears on two televisions next to the pool, which helps the athletic trainers monitor the workouts. A computer and controller adjust the pool’s jets, lift and treadmill.
The lift is used to vary the depth of the water the athlete in the optimal position, which can range from the waist to the shoulders, or completely non-weight-bearing and wearing floats. The treadmill is used for running or other exercises and jets can be turned on to increase water resistance. Steele said as many as four athletes can use the pool at a time, depending on the workout and if they are relatively the same height.
By The Numbers:
• Measures 8x12 feet
• Maximum depth of 6 feet
• Can treat four people at one time
• Treadmill has variance of 0-8.5 mph
• Two jets to increase resistance
• Three video cameras and four monitors to provide instant feedback
• Has been used for two master’s studies and one doctoral pilot study
