DECATUR, I'll. – After more than three decades serving as an athletic trainer in the District of Columbia Public Schools, Millikin University graduate Jennifer Rheeling, Class of 1990, was recently enshrined in the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Hall of Fame during NATA’s annual conference held in Orlando, Fla, on June 25.
The NATA Hall of Fame recognizes the very best in the profession of athletic training, and induction into the Hall of Fame honors athletic trainers who exemplify the mission of NATA through significant, lasting contributions that enhance the quality of health care provided by athletic trainers and advance the profession. The Hall features about 350 athletic trainers who have shaped the profession through their noteworthy accomplishments and dedication to service, leadership, and professionalism.
“Being chosen for induction into the NATA Hall of Fame has been overwhelming. To stand next to professionals that I learned about and learned from, people who built the profession and paved pathways for me, is inconceivable,” Rheeling said. “It still seems surreal. It has also been an amazing journey with amazing people, and absolutely uplifting to be shown time and again that I have had an impact on others and my contributions are valued.”
The annual NATA Conference offers many training sessions, interactive lectures, learning labs, and presentations on new athletic training techniques over five days.
“My time in Orlando for the ceremony was five days full of love, support, friendship, and memories made, preceded and followed by more of the same. It is gratifying to know that every time I stood my ground to enforce a policy or protect a student-athlete's health or made a tough decision about returning an athlete to participation, it was worth the conflict, and that the work I have done will continue to protect our patients long after I have retired,” Rheeling said. “Knowing that I have affected changes that improve the profession for athletic trainers who work in secondary schools is gratifying. Being supported by other Millikin alumni, such as Trevor Bates and Kyle Schneider, was wonderful. I am pretty sure I still have not processed all the emotions from that week.”
Rheeling graduated from Millikin with a B.S. degree in Physical Education and went on to earn a Master of Science in Athletic Training from Indiana State University. She will never forget receiving the news that she passed her Board of Certification (BOC) exam.
“I was at Indiana State, and my test results were sent to my parents' home in Illinois. I knew some of my classmates had received their test results, and I had asked them to open the envelope and decipher the results before calling me, so I didn't have to agonize while they figured it out,” she said. “One afternoon, my mom called me and told me the envelope was there and asked if I still wanted her to open it. I was so nervous and flustered because she called me first that I hung up on her! When my parents called back, they were still shuffling through the papers when my dad said, "Pass. Pass. Pass." I was so shocked and excited doesn't even describe it. I am proud to be the first certified athletic trainer from Millikin.”
Rheeling was also a member of the Big Blue Women’s Basketball team, and playing basketball was a key factor in her decision to attend Millikin. Her high school basketball coach had a close relationship with former Millikin Athletic Director Merle Chapman, making the transition an easy one.
“I was also given the opportunity to lifeguard for work study, which I enjoyed, and work as a student athletic trainer,” Rheeling said. “I knew that was the profession I wanted to pursue. I wanted to play basketball, and my decision came down to Millikin and North Central. Although basketball didn't work out well, Millikin did.”
Rheeling received many Performance Learning opportunities centered around athletic training while at Millikin, including time as a trainer with Big Blue Athletics.
“My first three years at Millikin were spent as a student trainer with the football team, learning from upperclassmen Amy Runkle and Sue Palter. Just before my senior year, Scott Doberstein was hired as the first full-time athletic trainer at Millikin. Scott is incredibly intelligent, held us to high expectations, and had Energizer Bunny-like energy,” Rheeling said. “I learned more from Scott in one year than in the first three combined. Probably the greatest lesson I learned that year was the vast amount of athletic training that I didn't know. I realized I was not ready to be the athletic trainer I wanted to be and decided to continue my education following graduation.”
Now living in Washington, D.C., Rheeling has served as an Athletic Trainer in the District of Columbia Public Schools for more than 32 years. She has served as the District of Columbia’s Athletic Trainers’ Association President, a NATA Liaison to the National Federation of State High School Associations, and as an active member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Her experience has given her a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards that athletic training can provide.
“Athletic trainers in secondary schools are often described as practicing on an island or in a silo. We are the only ones present with our skillset, and we must be many things to many people at many times,” Rheeling said. “This profession has given me many blessings that aren't specifically athletic training related. I have worked in an urban public-school environment my entire career in Title I schools. When I first left Illinois to begin work in Washington, D.C., I thought it would be for a few years. Illinois will always be home in my heart, but I feel like I was meant to be here doing this work – closing the accessibility gaps in health care and providing resources my students may not otherwise get. I truly feel we are public health extenders and serve an amplified role in coordinating services. Two things I am most proud of are my students calling me "Ma" and that three of my former students felt called to make me the godmother of their children.”
