Nine years ago when Ryanne Breckenridge was first employed at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Athletic Training Department, she accompanied only one other female on staff.

Today, Breckenridge is the Head Athletic Trainer for the department and leads a predominately female team.

This evolution aligns with an increase in females joining the field of sports medicine over the last ten years.

Half of the universities within the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) now have female Head Athletic Trainers, which makes WIAC unique compared to other conferences that maintain athletic training staffs consisting of mainly males.

The athletic training staff for the Pioneer football team consists of five female staff members, Breckenridge, along with four student trainers, junior forensic investigations major, Becca Jones, junior biology major, Kenzi Reeg, junior freshwater biology major, Emily Hastings and biology major, Liz Pretto.

The women say that they pride themselves in their skills, education and professionalism. Furthermore, they are continually looking for ways to further their education.

“The male teams have high trust in the staff and we never have male coaching staff question what we do,” said Breckenridge.

Jones said that even in a typically male dominant field, she and the other women of the athletic training staff have never felt like they have been treated differently, and they are respected for their abilities.

“Having a predominately female staff shows that it does not matter what gender you are. You can do the same job,” Jones said.

When other teams come to UW-Platteville, it is the athletic training staff’s goal to provide the best experience they can for the athletes. It is the professionalism and quality of service that the staff wants UW-Platteville to be known for, and not that they are just mainly female.

“Some of our responsibilities include taping ankles, wrists and shins as well as wrapping up scrapes,” Jones said. “We also focus on stretching the athletes, giving them stim or ultrasounds.”

On game days the training staff is not only responsible for those things, but they are to also prepare two water supplies: one for UW-Platteville and one for the visiting team.
In addition, the staff attends every scheduled practice and away game in case of any injuries.

“Every athlete gets individual attention and injuries are cared for with the highest regard,” Breckenridge said.

The student trainers have found their experiences with the athletic training department to be beneficial to their professional and their personal lives. Not only are they learning about sports medicine, but also they are slowly seeing the stigma about females in the field beginning to fade.

“It is just great to see our athletic training program taking steps in the right direction with a predominately female staff because it shows that we promote diversity in the workplace,” Jeff Novak said, a senior Biology and Health and Human Performance major.

Maintaining professionalism is one of the main goals for the UW-Platteville athletic training department. Ensuring comfort and satisfaction with care is held with the utmost regard and each athlete is treated with great care. While one could say having a predominately female athletic training staff enhances the university’s reputation, being known for the great care and service is what matters the most to UW-Platteville’s own athletic trainers.