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The life of an athlete can be a busy and hectic one, running from team meetings and practices to spending countless hours in the weight room. The life of a student-athlete can be even more hectic with the addition of classes and school functions.
But what happens when one of these student-athletes gets injured?
The Oakland University Athletics Department has staffed two different departments for this very purpose. The sports medicine department works hand-in-hand with the strength and conditioning department to provide medical assistance for the injuries athletes may come in with and aid in their recovery and training.
Todd Wohlfeil, director of strength and conditioning, said the sports medicine staff helps injured athletes recover, while his department helps get them ready to get back out on the field.
Grizzly born
Wohlfeil is entering his eighth year with the athletics department, and his fourth as the director of strength and conditioning department.
“It is very satisfying to work for Oakland University,” Wohlfeil said. “I spent the past 12 years here. I did my undergraduate work in health science and exercise science here. Then I was accepted into the physical therapy program and did my doctorate in physical therapy here.”
Wohlfeil earned his doctorate in 2009 and his bachelor of science degree in 2005. As an undergrad, Wohlfeil served as a personal trainer for the university’s department of campus recreation. He later worked for the athletics department as a graduate assistant.
“I’ve gotten a lot out of Oakland from education and experience,” Wohlfeil said. “It’s really great to be able to provide a service to Oakland.”
The director of strength and conditioning also met his wife, Deanna, while he was a student at Oakland. As a student, Wohlfeil was also able to be a personal trainer for University President Gary Russi, who tipped him off about the opening that eventually led to his current position.
“I knew a lot of the coaches, so that helped and I had a lot of really good personal relationships built up by that time,” Wohlfeil said.
Building a star
“My average day begins around 6 a.m. and can end around 3:30 or on the upwards of 8 p.m.,” Wohlfeil said. “It’s a pretty steady flow of athletes daily.”
Of the 340 student-athletes, the strength and conditioning staff see roughly 200 of them a day. Some of the teams come in all together or separately if the team is too big or the athletes have schedule conflicts. It also depends on what the coaches would like.
An athlete can use the facilities any time, as long as they have one of the staff there with them or one of their coaches. The staff for the strength and conditioning department is only about five large, but there are usually anywhere from three to 10 interns to also help out.
Wohlfeil and his staff also work with new ways to promote the strength and health of the student-athletes.
“We just started a student-athlete performance fueling program,” Wohlfeil said. “What that entails is that our athletes are able to take in Gatorade before and during a workout. And then they take in Gatorade and collegiate Muscle Milk combination after the workout to help them with their recovery process. It ensures they get in enough calories and are able to recover from workout to workout.”
Wohlfeil said the standard day for an athlete is very congested, saying it is very difficult for them to stick to their diets. This is their way to aid them in keeping on track.
A healing touch
Senior Kylie Schalz, an Oakland softball player, is one athlete Wohlfeil said has inspired him.
Schalz suffered a spinal cord injury in 2011 and because of the help she received from the sports medicine and Wohlfeil’s staff, she has been able to overcome the paralysis she suffered.
“With Todd and his staff my progress skyrocketed,” Schalz said. “They pushed me to reach and exceed the goals that no one else thought were possible. We have worked on all different kinds of exercises in order to help me succeed athletically, socially and most important, independently.”
Because of the help Schalz has received from Wohlfeil and the athletics department, she is one step closer to reaching her goal of one more career at-bat before she graduates.
Schalz is one of the more remarkable cases Wohlfeil has dealt with, but he gives the same amount of time to each athlete. The coordination between sports medicine, strength and conditioning has helped every student-athlete at Oakland stay in good health and recover from injuries.
“Todd has helped so many athletes both physically and mentally,” Schalz said. “His willingness to help anyone who asks him is something you don’t see too often anymore. The difference between the before and the after of almost every student-athlete willing to dedicate themselves with what Todd and his staff are doing is unexplainable.”
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