Now it's about learning as much as I can in the field and from my coworkers. Kansas City coaches continue to provide little illumination about Hardmans injury as it is their right to do. They understand they have a long way to go, but they also know how important it is to raise awareness of the need for athletic trainers at every event across the country. A pair of black tights are a necessity, rather than just an accessory, to stay stylish and comfortable when temperatures drop. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. @EricSugarATC pic.twitter.com/mA0ZW2tbMC, Rick Burkholder (@proatc) March 3, 2022. I just feel like I`m doing my job and got lucky enough and worked hard enough to have the opportunity to do what I really wanted to, Morton said. The Kansas City Chiefs held their sixteenth full training camp practice on Wednesday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. Answering those questions is the aim of the Next Woman Up series. They bust their tails early in the season, then it's our job to make sure their bodies last through the playoffs, hopefully to February. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing the adoption of new COVID-19 protocols across the National Football League, Burkholder became the team's Infection Control Officer (ICO), a leading member of the club's Infection Response Team (IRT). Born: Carlisle, Pa. Family: Wife - Kristine; Children - Quinn Taylor and Carly Ann. Also, when I got the full-time job with the Chiefs, there were five female athletic trainers in the league. Reid and Veach spoke on Tuesday for the first time since Super Bowl LVII, The Combine kicks off in Indianapolis this week, The Chiefs were represented by the second-most players of any team. I played all kinds of sports growing up. The Kansas City Chiefs are blessed to have an award-winning athletic training staff headed up by VP of Sports Medicine and Performance, Rick Burkholder. "That group of people is hungry, and they just run through the door and attack. Tuesday, they have meetings but no practice, so it's another prep day for us to get ready for the rest of the week. The rest of the team's veterans. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Jennifer Doherty-Restrepo, who was my program director at FIU. Two members of the Kansas City Chiefs athletic training staff have earned recognition for their tireless work during the 2021 NFL season. In the mornings, we are getting everything ready for when players take the field and, at the same time, we're also making sure guys weigh in to see if they've lost a significant amount of weight that hasn't been returned. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. That said, a lot of people probably wouldn't step down from a full-time job with a great community to take an NFL internship that paid minimum wage, but I did. She was constantly advocating for me, and it's inevitably how I got the internship with the Vikings. Having people who say "yes" to what you're trying to attain is so important, and I absolutely would not be here if not for those two ladies. Team meetings are another time for us to re-evaluate what happened during practice, so we can prep for the afternoon and give our guys the best information so they can get ready for the next day. GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Wifi Policy. On Feb. 19, 2014, Burkholder received one of the highest honors in his profession as he was elected to a three-year term as President of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS),which serves the players of the NFL, the member clubs and other members of the community, while ensuring the highest quality of health care provided to the NFL. I think it's just called the next day of work. They operate by the book and have welcomed me with open arms from the day I arrived. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. It just wasnt happening that in 10 years when health care is so important to the players, we would have really bad staff because we were taking one in four students.. Fans see three hours of action on Sunday, but players and the training staff put in countless hours of work to ensure players are at their best, so they can perform at the highest possible level. It does take a couple of pioneers to make the first couple of steps, and then the rest of us keep pushing. Assistant Athletic Trainer - Evan Craft, David Glover, Tiffany Morton, Julie Frymyer Equipment Director - Allen Wright Assistant Equipment Managers - Chris Shropshire, Kyle Crumbaugh, Cale Kirby, Jay White Director of Video Operations - Pat Brazil Assistant Director of Video Operations - Ken Radino Video Assistant - Holt McKenney, Josh Schmidt Listen to player interviews. I definitely appreciate him taking me under his wing. I have two younger brothers and one older, so we were the stereotypical neighborhood kids always playing outside. The Chiefs will begin camp July 22, a day in which the quarterbacks, rookies and veterans returning from injury will start a short series of truncated practices. Learning that and from other departments is what's next because I know I'll need this knowledge to become a head athletic trainer down the line. ", Keeping Athletic Training greAT!!! I would say most of our staff gets here at 5 or 6 a.m. and don't leave until 9 or 10 p.m. "It's more personal and 1-on-1 type-of-conversations with those who reach out, but it's been great to be that resource for people.". He and his staff were recognized by their peers following the 2010 season, being named the NFL's top training staff for the year. Rick Burkholder (@proatc) March 1, 2022. In addition to working closely with local high schools and influencersas well as the University of Kansas Health System, which often serves as a conduit between athletic trainers dealing with injuries and situations in which the Chiefs could assist because they often have the experience with the same situation in the past, Craft and Burkholder also recently spent a day with the students at Kansas State University. The last person I hired was Julie Frymyer. Education: Pittsburgh (B.S. Athletic trainers are health care professionals by trade, and the point Burkholder, Craft, and many others advocating this point are making is that it shouldn't take a situation in which people realize they should have had an athletic trainer present to jumpstart the process of making sure everyone has one there in the first place. He hobbled off the field with the help of the athletic training staff, who took a look at his left leg before sending him off the field in a cart. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Expand Search. In Philadelphia, he was instrumental in injury prevention by modifying the team's stretching program andinstituting a torso-strengthening program known as "back school.". NFL Networks MJ Acosta spoke with Chiefs assistant athletic trainers Tiffany Morton and Julie Frymyer on Wednesday on NFL Total Access. They both spoke about their respective journeys to the league and shared their experiences from working on a team that has seen a lot of success over the past two seasons, reaching consecutive Super Bowls. His ability to balance athlete safety and protection, the desires and competitive drive of the athlete, and utilization of contemporary rehabilitation techniques to expedite recovery and optimize outcomes has been impressive. If someone asked me that question five years ago, I would have naively said I want to become a head athletic trainer in the NFL. Visit ESPN to view the Kansas City Chiefs team roster for the current season Training camp is its own beast. One of the final training camp practices of the year isn't going so smoothly for the Kansas City Chiefs. To help ensure women were considered for all open athletic training positions on an even scale with men, the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society started a program in 2015 giving female athletic training students interested in pursuing a career in the NFL a special opportunity. He has. While McDuffie missed several weeks of the season, he returned at 100% to become a key contributor in the secondary. Avian flu on the rise in southeastern Pennsylvania, state officials amp up response, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture ramps up response toward avian flu, new case reported in Lancaster County. You'll always hear credit being given to members of the training staff. In 2004, an aggressive rehabilitation program allowed WR Terrell Owens to return from a surgically-repaired ankle in seven weeks to play in Super Bowl XXXIX with the Eagles. "We have people's ears because of the positions that we hold in the NFL," Craft explained. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, the New England Patriots' Nancy Meier discusses her journey of 45-plus years in the organization's scouting department, which included nine coaching changes. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Start your Kansas City Chiefs team job search below. Thats the art of sports medicine, Burkholder said. They see it as their job to not only take care of the Chiefs' players but to use their influence and standing to help affect positive change for their profession into the future. His many rehab successes have been widely documented, from Rod Woodson to Terrell Owens to Patrick Mahomes., One of the most humbling nights of my career. Burkholder is a certified athletic trainer and a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society, in addition to his membership in PFATS. Andy Reid enters his 10th season at the helm of the Chiefs in 2022. Known as one of the top athletic trainers in the National Football League, Rick Burkholder enters his 10th season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and his fifth serving as the club's Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance. People want to talk to us and as hot as this team is right now, it gives you the break-the-ice moment to talk about athletic training. He also played a major role in Berry's return to the field in 2015 after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. The teams overall health. A pair of the Kansas City Chiefs athletic training staff was recently highlighted on NFL Network as part of their Womens History Month coverage. The goal is to hire the best person for the job, regardless of gender. He has. Payton made a rule that no outside training staff could be brought in, which was again met with high praise from many members of the NFL media. During his term, he focused on two specific initiatives emphasizing the need for gender equality in the NFL's athletic trainers, as well as the importance of athletic trainers at youth and high school levels. He was promoted to his current position in 2018. Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 16, 2022 Five weeks later, Williams, a fourth-round pick, made a similar momentum-swinging highlight, intercepting the ball near the goal line just. "This profession, just because you're in the NFL doesn't mean you're better than the people at the high schools. Woodson returned just four and a half months after surgery to play in Super Bowl XXX. Shes one of the first female (athletic trainers) to work in the National Football League. You can see in just over five years how the landscape is changing and diversifying. At the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, you will find a palate-dazzling smorgasbord of cuisines and cocktails in which to indulge. It's not that some people were haters, but people sometimes don't think dreams are achievable. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. I had heard of it, but never really considered it as a career. I got a summer internship with the Minnesota Vikings through my connections with FIU and PFATS's female scholarship program -- they also have an ethnicminority scholarship program -- then I was able to get it a second time, but as a seasonal athletic trainer with the Kansas City Chiefs. Before that, he covered the Indiana Pacers at The Indianapolis Star for two years. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. So, in 2013 when we got here, (Travis) Kelce gets hurt and we start his rehab and Im treating him like his brother. I'm also looking at certain guys' urinalysis status to assist them medically and make sure they are OK; that's been key with identifying why certain players might have an issue in practice. We're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Chiefs athletic trainers Tiffany Morton, Julie Frymyer interviewed Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC. There`s a crowd behind us who keeps pushing, and eventually you get it right, Morton said. In back to back years, Burkholder received prestigious awards for his work in the field, earning the National Athletic Trainers' Association's Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award (2016) and became just the second person and first athletic trainer to receive the NATA's President's Award, honoring his contribution to the profession (2017). Burkholder presented the award to Glover, who has been with the Chiefs since 2012. Then there are walk-throughs and meetings for more prep. While the conversational Q&As are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. "I was able to go to him and bring people with me who are a little more involved in the Missouri side of things to not only open that door but talk about what they're dealing with at the high school levels. He was influenced by his father, Richard, a long-time athletic trainer at Carlisle High School, and his mother, Nancy, a registered nurse. During seasons when the Chiefs play deep into the playoffs or in the Super Bowl, does the preparation change? Chiefs head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said he knew the people who taught Morton and was told to keep an eye on her. After Buffalo Bills S Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest in Week 17s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the football world paid closer attention to the team behind the team. I got up and left and thought, What am I going to do? Tiffany Morton working on the sideline of Arrowhead Stadium during a game against the Seahawks in August of 2016. Burkholder also served as the teams Infection Control Officer (ICO) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Burkholder said many NFL players had female athletic trainers in college, so this isnt anything new. She made sure I checked the boxes but also helped me get to where I am. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Arrowhead Stadium 1 Arrowhead Drive Kansas City, MO 64129 Rick Burkholder Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance David Glover Assistant Athletic Trainer Evan Craft Assistant Athletic Trainer Tiffany Morton Assistant Athletic Trainer Julie Frymyer Assistant Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist Home Member Directory It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. It's about being proactive and understanding the importance of having someone there who knows how to properly handle every situation that may arise, while also helping promote how these athletes can best take care of their bodies even before an injury as preventative maintenance is as big of a focus for their jobs as is handling injuries as they occur. Original Content Editor, Talent Development. We're fortunate enough to be hired by the Hunt family to do our jobs with great athletes, but it also comes with a little bit of responsibility. Now, what does a week during the regular season look like for you? The preseason loss of tight end Blake Bell helped the emergence of tight end Noah Gray as a consistent contributor. Some of them have been tough love, for sure, but they have molded me into the athletic trainer I am today. The coaches and administrators who understand this idea are grateful to get their foot in the door with those who can affect real change and policy. Without further ado, we introduce: How did you get your start in a career in football? In 2003, Burkholder and his father were named distinguished alumni of Carlisle High School, and in 2013, Rick was honored with the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society Distinguished Merit Award. Kansas Citys staff helped put the team in position for a deep playoff run. It's hard to blindly go in there and discuss these issues.". I do a lot with hydration to make sure the players, especially rookies and new guys to our team, are ready for the August heat and an Andy Reid training camp because it can get pretty intense. They know that they have to work well together for the team to be successful, and that translates to any team atmosphere. Now, Morton, 35, along with fellow female Chiefs trainer Julie Frymyer (who got the job in 2018) and NFL official Sarah Thomas, will be among the six women with on-field roles during Sunday's. Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs got to enjoy something only one other team was allowed to do: rest their players to get as healthy as possible before entering the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Saturday.