National Athletic Training Month is held every March and focuses on spreading awareness about the important work of athletic trainers.
 
Upper Iowa is blessed to have five dedicated, full-time athletic trainers in the Peacock Athletics Department. Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine Matt Rueckert leads the department in his 21^st year at Upper Iowa.
 
"I have been associated with the profession of athletic training since 1998, and in those years I have seen lot of changes," said Rueckert. "There has been constant innovations in the medical fields, in the training of athletes, and within the many settings you find athletic trainers practicing our craft. One of those many changes is the evolution of the athletic training program at UIU. We had a student program for many years that has produced a lot of great professionals in many healthcare settings. We have a wide network of former students from coast to coast making a positive impact on the lives of many people. We no longer have the students but we still have a dedicated staff of full-time athletic trainers."

"My current staff is outstanding," noted Rueckert. "I am lucky to work with four true professionals that care for their athletes and want to make a positive impact in our university. Rachel, Ryan, Blake, and Abby are some of the best, no matter who you stack them up against. I know that with this group we will continue to produce a high standard of care and continue to evolve with the profession. I've seen the emphasis change over the years from general care, to preventative care, to more recovery based with manual therapies being important. No matter what the changes bring, I know UIU will always be associated with quality athletic trainers."
 
Certified athletic trainers are recognized by the American Medical Association, Health Resources Services Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services as allied health care professionals. UIU's five athletic trainers are all board certified and licensed by the state as healthcare providers. The Upper Iowa athletic trainers serve the near-400 Peacock student-athletes in the areas of prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions.
 
The Peacock athletic training staff also work closely with the student-athletes on their mental health and well-being. Upper Iowa student-athletes feel comfortable with their respective athletic trainers and share more personal details that can help lead to a better student-athlete experience here in Fayette.
 
This year's tagline for National Athletic Trainers Month is "From Head to Toe." During the month of March, Upper Iowa will be recognizing our five full-time athletic trainers, as well as our alumni that have continued in the field of athletic training upon graduation from UIU. In addition to meeting the great people of our athletic training staff, Upper Iowa will also show our athletic training facilities and the traffic flow during our current crossover between winter sport championship season and the beginning of our spring sport season.

The Peacock athletic training staff will be raising funds during the week of March 13-20 (Wednesday to Wednesday) as they look to continue to provide all Peacock student-athletes with the care they deserve. Prior to the fundraising week, the staff will be sharing a list of items that would be purchased with any donations and how they would help our student-athletes in their journey toward GLVC Championships and NCAA postseason berths.
 
During the final week of March, Upper Iowa will turn to our student-athletes and coaches to share their appreciation with our athletic trainers and their efforts to serve all 16 Peacock sports.