As part of a new partnership effective July 1, 2025, BGSU and Wood County Hospital are now providing services to the BGSU Marching Band, the Spirit program, and your BGSU Club Sports. As part of this partnership, there are two athletic trainers in charge of providing care across these programs. With 40+ active Club Sports on campus, BGSU will be able to provide excellent services to their students, including physical therapy, game day coverage for high contact sports, as well as on campus treatments for injuries.
Housed in the Perry Fieldhouse, our two athletic Trainers, Kassi Roudebush and Melissa FitzGibbon, work alongside Teresa Badenhop, the physical therapist, to provide services to ailing members of Marching Band, Club Sports, and the Spirit programs. We were able to discuss with our Training staff about what this does for our Club Sports Programs, both in terms of the present and the future.
"I would say a majority of our club sports have been able to benefit coming in quickly to get evaluated or treated. The most to utilize our services so far are the rugby and soccer teams. Our contact information has been shared with all safety officers and coaches to get ahold of us at any time to schedule an appointment. We have been getting athletes in within 12 hours to get looked at so they are not waiting for long periods of time with no answers. Monday's have become a very important day getting club athletes in after their events over the weekend." shares Kassi Roudebush on which programs have been able to benefit quickly from the programs. Student focus on wellness has been a major focus of BGSU Club Sports, showcased by the speed and attentiveness to their needs of our Training staff.
Melissa FitzGibbon also provided a perspective from the Marching Band and Spirit Program aspect,
"While I think all the club sport programs benefit from having access to athletic trainers, I think the Spirit and Marching Band programs see the most benefit. These are programs that traditionally don't have access to athletic trainers. We have done a lot of education for the marching band members on how to keep themselves healthy and safe while marching especially in the heat. They also have access to healthcare for minor injuries that may occur during season (sprained ankles/wrists, concussions, etc.) without having to go directly to a doctor. The spirit programs also benefit from having athletic trainers because they (especially cheer) can see a lot of severe injuries due to the nature of their sports. Because of this partnership, Cheer and Dance now have an athletic trainer traveling with them to Nationals in Florida to ensure they are all healthy and ready to compete." Providing this across the board for our programs has given a major step up for on campus services, in comparison to our MAC competitors. With limited resources for our students to go off campus, the options grew slim.
"Many of the BGSU club athletes do not have the time or resources to drive to an offsite location to receive care for an injury so being able to provide physical therapy services onsite at Perry Fieldhouse is a valuable resource for them. This also improves communication between the physical therapists, athletic trainers, athletes and coaches to allow for a more comprehensive treatment approach and hopefully quicker recovery." said Teresa Badenhop.
With focus on what this will do for BGSU Club Sports, the sky is the limit.
"I can see this partnership growing to covering more events/games with additional club sports. The established relationship alone will help grow and strengthen the partnership between WCH and BGSU. The partnership between WCH and BGSU allows the club sport athletes to stay on campus to get treated by either an Athletic Trainer or with our physical therapy services. It will lead to better and faster healthcare service within our community." says Kassi Roudebush. Kassi speaks brilliantly on the focus of care on our athletes. Whether in for a minor injury or for a major rehab aspect, our ability to treat students on campus gives us the momentum we need to grow.
Melissa FitzGibbon speaks further on the subject, stating, "I think this partnership is going to help not only grow the number of athletes participating in club sports but also help retain athletes from year to year. With access to athletic trainers, athletes can feel safer participating in sports (especially contact sports) knowing there is a health care professional on site that can help them in case anything happens. The issue with club sports at many schools is that the teams are student run which means they don't have the same resources available to them like a varsity sport would. We hope to provide the same level of care to our club sport athletes as we would any other level of athlete. This partnership will also keep athletes participating after having an injury. Instead of having to coordinate their own appointments to have an injury looked at and be treated, we can do that all in house. From initial evaluation with either Kassi or me, to referral to our team doctors Dr. Nowakowski and Dr. Siparsky, and physical therapy with our PTs Melissa and Teresa, the athletes return to sport can be accomplished entirely within our staff from Wood County Hospital that are here to work with club sport athletes. We even are seeing patients on campus now for their PT appointments so they have an easier time making it to their rehab. Our team is here to help return athletes to their sports as seamlessly as possible."
As the focus is driven towards giving the students all the necessary steps to recovery, our athletes will see just how much we care about their health.
"In just a few short weeks I have already seen tremendous growth and utilization of our resources. I expect this will continue to expand as more athletes and coaches become more aware of the services we provide. This is positive for BGSU, the student athletes and Wood County Hospital and I look forward to continuing to build this relationship." said Teresa Badenhop.
In speaking on how our Athletic Training staff has been able to get accustomed to being in Bowling Green, the proof is our community strength.
"I feel very supportive and connected here at BGSU. It is a family like environment in which I can appreciate and connect well with. It has been nice to connect with the BGSU Athletic Trainer's here on campus to have support from them as well." shares Kassi Roudebush.
Melissa Fitzgibbon also shared, "I have felt very welcomed by the BGSU community. All the coaches and athletes are very excited about this partnership with Wood County Hospital and have welcomed Kassi and I with open arms. Everyone has also been very grateful for us to be here and the athletes have been quick to utilize the care we are providing. It has been a great time getting to meet and work with all the teams I have so far."
In all of this transition, our focus has remained the same. Focus on the student experience, in every way you possibly can. Momentum will follow.
For everything surrounding BGSU Club Sports, check out our social media below:
- Instagram: @bgsuclubsports
- Facebook: BGSU Club Sports
- LinkedIn: BGSU Club Sports
