Tyler Schlosser: The Unsung Hero of Bluffton Athletics

Tyler D. Schlosser, head athletic trainer at Bluffton University, works hard from the athletic training room to help injured athletes get back in the game. He may be just an ordinary man but to hurt players, he is a hero.

Schlosser is the head athletic trainer at Bluffton University meaning he oversees rehabilitation, treatment, the diagnosing of injured athletes and supervises the student athletic trainers. The specific sports Schlosser works with are football, men’s basketball and softball. For these sports, he goes to all practices and games to ensure excellent treatment can be given to the injured athlete as soon as he or she gets hurt. He came to Bluffton in August 2006 and became the head athletic trainer in November 2007.

To achieve his goal of being a college athletic trainer, Schlosser went to earn his bachelor’s degree in exercise science with an emphasis in athletic training at the University of Toledo, Schlosser earned his master’s degree in kinesiology and health promotion from the University of Kentucky.

“I enjoy being a part of Bluffton athletics and my part of being in the support system that helps keep the athletes healthy and in the game,” said Schlosser of his work.

A Day in the Life of a Student Athletic Trainer

Heath Underwood #96, Alec Stewart-Evans #53, Jerry Stone #63, Bryan Heckathorn #69, Kristie Corney, Jordan Achtermann #54, Aaron Jenkins #57, Dave Himmeger #94, Justin Crosier #91, Stephen Miller #31, Dearl Goins #52, Phil Gaulin #95

Working as a student athletic trainer at Bluffton University is an exciting job, whether in the training room or on the athletic field according to sophomore Kristie Corney, a football, men’s basketball and baseball athletic trainer.

No one can see the future, so athletic trainers must always be prepared to deal with injuries. “You never know what is going to happen when you head out to practice or to a game. I, of course, hope that none of my boys gets hurt but I always have to be on my toes in case something does happen,” said Corney.

Even though Corney has only been working in the training room for less than a year, she has seen her share of injuries and excitement. “I had to call 9-1-1 once and describe a situation as it was happening; it was pretty scary because I didn’t know if he [the injured person] was going to be okay,” said Corney, about her most exciting moment on the job. A job like this requires her to stay calm through the assortment of injuries she encounters including jammed fingers, broken bones, concussions, torn ligaments, sprained ankles, seizures, asthma attacks, cuts and blisters.

Football season brought the most injuries for her to deal with. This is not a surprise as there are many more people to get injured on the football team than on the basketball or baseball teams. “During football I was always cleaning up blood, re-taping ankles, fingers and wrists and running for ice bags but I didn’t mind because I care about my boys [the defensive linemen] and it kept me busy,” said Corney.

“Although we work long hours, I wouldn’t trade my job for any other because of the unique experiences of caring for the athletes and bonding with the other trainers,” stated Corney about her feelings about her job.