Tossed Magazine

TOSSED Austin Sports

An afforable club team in Austin

Top 5 Athletes in Austin, Texas Struggles of a highschool swimmer Life of an athletic trainer

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Get an inside on the authors themselves!

A Special Program: Life Changing Inclusion A feature story on the regional program director of the Special Olympics

Knockout Volleyball Learn about the low cost of a volleyball team housed here in Austin!

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The Strokes of Swimming

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Behind the Scenes of Athletic Training

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Quick tips on becoming a better swimmer!

What it means to be an athletic trainer

The Best of Austin

Meet the top 5 athletes from Austin!

Table of Contents

04

About the Authors

About the Authors!

Peyton Atchison is a 15-year-old freshman at LASA High school. She enjoys being outside and playing volleyball, she has been playing volleyball for three years and playing club for Knockout. She is interested in liberal arts and law, and wants to be a lawyer when she grows up. She loves living in Austin and attends many of the festivals it hosts.

Jeremy Li is a 14-year-old freshman at LASA High School. He is an avid swimmer and wants to swim for the LBJ swim team next year. He also likes playing video games and sleeping. He is interested in engineering and one day hopes to work for NASA. He is on a club swimming team. His favorite swimmer of all time is Michael Phelps. Fun fact: he is actually Asian!

Tatianna Raymond is a 15-year-old freshmen at LASA High school. She hopes to pursue a career in the medical field because of her love for other people. She enjoys playing club volleyball for her team euroway, and also enjoys watching the Dallas Cowboys win!

David Dawson is a 14-year-old freshman at LASA high school. He enjoys spending his free time playing sports with friends and playing video games. He is an avid penguin supporter and has a wonderful sense of humor. He plays for the LBJ soccer team. and intends to also do track. He enjoys spending time with his family, and eating tasty food.

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“ Oh I wish there was an average day” Gymnsatics at a Special Olympics meet.

Sports, the great equaliser. It draws

people of all races, nationalities, and religions together. In the case of the Special Olympics, it inspires confidence, companionship, and life changing experiences to all its participants.

The Special Olympics is not a two week

competition of the best athletes in the world, but a program to provide athletic and social opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities. I interviewed Jason Miller, the Regional Program Director of the Special Olympics for central Texas.

The Special Olympics, against popu lar belief, is year-round and offers a huge range of sports. They provide opportunities in almost any sport you could imagine: track and field, basketball, softball, and even some more obscure ones like figure skating, sailing ,kayaking, “you name it we probably offer it,” says Jason Miller.

“What I do is a lot of planning and

organizing every sporting event and competition.” His job involves finding the facilities, volunteers, equipment, and making schedules; “pretty much any aspect that you can think think of” says Jason Miller.

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A Special Program: Life Changing Inclusion A view of the Special Olympics through the lens of the regional program Director Jason Miller By:David Dawson

He is also in charge of many duties from planning events to making sure lunch is prepared for everybody.

“My dream was to work in NBA basketball.” But after some time as a sports management major he realised that “everyone that had ever worked for a NBA team said that it’s cutthroat and that everyone is out for themselves; and during that same time that I was at UT, and my brother he actually had a son who was born with autism.

So those 2 things got me thinking that maybe I could use my sports management degree for something other than selling season tickets for the Spurs.”

At that same time he needed an internship in order to graduate. He decided to send an internship request towards the Special Olympics which initially got ignored. “Then I did what some people say do and some people say don’t do, but I put on some nice clothes, tie, the works, came down, asked for an application,filled it out in person and turned it in. About a week later I thankfully got the job,” he said.

“While I was an intern there was a position available here in Austin Texas so I applied. I was a program associate. After a year my supervisor quit and I had to take over as program director. I was an associate for one year I have been a director for four so I have been at the Special Olympics five years total,” he says.

The Special Olympics is also one of the leading healthcare providers for people with intellectual disabilities. “There are statewide games with volunteer doctors that provide medical screenings, eye checks, give the free glasses, hearing checks, we have one group doing bone density checks. So Special Olympics started as mainly sports but now encompases many different areas.”

“Oh I wish there was an average day,” says Jason Miller.

“You always get just a lot of random emails and random questions.

We’ll get questions on a form that people have to turn in. Well get people calling wanting to volunteer wondering how they get hooked up with volunteering. For example, today I had a mother and her daughter come down, wanting to know how to get her daughter involved in the program,” he says.

At the same time, he has to be working on sports. “So we’re putting data entry into our computer, we have bacci coming up in 2 weeks and so were putting information into the computer for that.

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Jason Miller with a Special Olympics participant.

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We’re also starting to reach out into the community with bacci make sure I have people to do my awards, i’ve got people to come run the tournament while also sending information to the teams, then we’re gonna have a meeting on this day, a meeting on that, updating documents, getting everything ready to go, checking storage to make sure i’ve got equipment, and have an idea of what I need to buy.

So it really just depends but typically it’s some combination of answering emails, phone calls, and doing stuff toward whatever the next sport you have coming. everyday is kind of dynamic” said Jason Miller.

He was then asked what his fondest memory with the Special Olympics is and he responded, “Oh gosh, I could give you so many is the problem trying to narrow it down.”

He then proceeded to give many anecdotes about his favourite moments from the Special Olympics, one of them being, “I had another guy, who I love so much, a guy named Robert Harris. He’s probably mid forties, down syndrome and he might be the funniest guy I know. I could give you Robert Harris stories for days. So he was at swimming one time, he gets out of the pool and I said hey robert howd you do, and he just says ‘I have no idea’ and just kept walking. So it’s like these little moments in every competition there will be some moment that is just inherently hilarious. I love it.”

“A lot of our population is obesity prone, like one of the tenants of down syndrome is to be overweight. The Special Olympics gets people moving,” says Jason Miller. The Special Olympics helps a huge number of people across the world get exercise who would not normally do so.

A bowling event at the Special Olympics.

A flag football game at the Special Olympics.

“We have a guy with down syndrome who’s in the best shape out of anybody i’ve ever seen. His favourite sport is powerlifting,” says Miller. The Special Olympics gives people with mental disabilities a gateway to participate in sports.

“However social, is by far the biggest benefit I see. It gives our athletes the chance to be part of a team, and to feel involved. We have athletes that date, we have athletes that get married. It gives the parents a social network and give them something to get involved with,” says Jason Miller. The Special Olympics is life changing for many people.

“When I first started there was a guy who wouldn’t talk, I just couldn’t get him to speak. He had just started the special olympics. Now he gives speeches on behalf of the special olympics,” he says.

“In addition to the physical and the social, I think inclusion is a big one. We have a guy named Morgan Collins who was voted homecoming king of his high school. In that the school hes accepted, he belongs. Inclusion, specifically in middle school and high school levels is really cool to see,” says Jason Miller.

“Doing this allowed him to be in his own element and come out of his shell. now he’s great. We hang out he talks all the time.

The social benefit is even more important than the physical by far, I think,” says Jason Miller.

“In addition to the physical and the social, I think inclusion is a big one. We have a guy named Morgan Collins who was voted homecoming king of his high school.

In that the school hes accepted, he belongs.

Inclusion, specifically in middle school and high school levels is really cool to see,” says Jason Miller.

The Special Olympics has lowered the social gap between these two populations and given thousands of people Social and physical opportunities. Some even getting married or escaping from obesity. “Programs like that really help with creating a understanding between people. And I think It really goes a long Way.”

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Gloves are worn for better grip on the ball and sometimes to keep fingers warm.

Helmets insure that serve damage does not occur to the athlete’s head, eyes, chin, and ears.

Players wear matching uniforms with a number so that officals, teammates, and coaches can easily identify them. Jesery’s have a team name, the team logo, the player’s number.

By: Peyton Atchison

Safety Gear for the Field

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Football players wear cleats for traction on the field. Cleat spikes come in four sizes based upon the type of turf being played on.

You’re at a football game and see the players with heavy looking equipment. Either you don’t think anything about it, or you ask youreself “Why do they wear all that heavy gear?”. Well the answer is because every piece of equipment prevents a different injury.

Knee, thigh, elbow, hip and shoulder pads absorb all the phyiscal blows players take one the field.

High School V.S Club Volleyball By: Tatianna Raymond

• Shorter season with fewer games • Coaches might not be as experiened as ones at clubs • Team is not as developed • Usually practice will be everyday afterschool and potentially off season when season is over • Cost can be very little to free • Teams travel within the state of texas and no more than a 2 hour drive

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• Both are competitive and play high level teams • Different level teams depending on skill level

High School

The Venn Diagram below shows some of the differences between high school and club to give background information on some of the things you might have read in a previous article

Club Volleyball Longer season with more tournament type games and scenarios • Coaches probably have more experiened and are able to better assist • Team might have a closer bond because they have more time to be able • Fewer Practice (2-3 per week)` • Price can vary from being in the hundreds to thousands of dollar

• Recruiters look for players on both highschool and club team • Same General Rules for

•

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Knockout Volleyball Making an impact one pass, set, and hit at a time By: Tatianna Raymond

Two of the girls on the 14 sapphire team who entered a 3 vs 3 tournament

A few of the girls practing during the club season with Tara Fisher on the right

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Traveling more than 9,160 miles from Africa to Austin to experience and play club for a new and thriving club called knockout. What makes them so popular we ask? The average price to play club can vary from $3000 to $8000, depending on the team and club.

At knockout the average price for an entire club season is $1400. Playing club volleyball comes at a price metaphorically and literally, a majority of girls are not able to play because of a financial disadvantage.

Knockout is giving girls who are hungry to play and make them have the self motivation and drive to play club the opportunities, setting their fees over $2000-$3000 less than other clubs in Austin. This is attracting parents and athletes outside and within Austin who might not have thought to play club because of the price.

Tara Fisher, the Assistant Director and coach for one of the 14’s and 15’s teams at knockout. “I’ve been an athlete since I was 5-years-old, I went to UT basketball camps with Jodi Conrad who is one the best coaches in UT women’s

Setting athletes up for Success on and off the court

Mariana, a player at Knockout Volleyball playing Libero!

There were a ton of girls there and I would get MVP of the camp. I was privileged enough to grow up in westlake so a lot of girls started playing club in sixth and seventh grade so I was able to play for Austin Juniors all the way through.”

Fisher is beyond qualified to build and help girls at knockout. “ Basketball and Volleyball are two different games, the reason I stuck with volleyball and did it is because once I started playing, it the way it’s played is like the chess of sports.Like the way its played mentally I just fell in love with it and couldn’t get enough of it. I started with it and i am yet to stop and i’m 33 years old,” Fisher states with a Jeff Coward, the club director and founder of Knockout volleyball always had the idea of starting a club where girls are able to play no matter the financial circumstance, he called in Fisher to help implement his vision for the club.

his vision for the club.

The next step was to start applying for grants, find coaches for the team and most importantly find girls to play. “I Actually I have to give Jeff credit for what he did at the beginning, and honestly, we didn’t know anyone would show up you know because we started so late but luckily we had enough girls to make 8 teams our first season,” as Fisher exclaims.

Knockout volleyball is continuing to draw people in by the drastic changes in their prices and it is attracting players and athletes from all over the world. “We have had people contact us from California not realizing Knockout is in Texas but in California. A women from Africa contacted us because her daughter was going to miss the tryout dates but she wanted her daughter to play for us, so we are holding a spot for her. I think it’s word of mouth and our fantastic coaching staff that has given us our good reputation. The progress from when the girls started and how they during the club season was drastic and I think a lot of people saw that they saw girls who made 8th grade B team are making starting JV and I think a lot of people were like woah and then they find out the cost and they are like that is ridiculous.”

The Kiwi bird is an usual yet distinct mascot that makes you wonder, what is a kiwi bird. “New Zealand that’s why our logo is a kiwi bird, the national bird of new zealand. The only bird that can’t fly. I wonder if that a good sign or bad sign for us, or what?”

As the club is continuing to grow knockout is getting recognition for their unique and driven coaches and mission. “We got an email the other day from Jack Jackson the hall of famer, the hall of fame volleyball coach. Out of nowhere he just said I love your club and I am so proud of you, I have been wanting to start a club like that since I started coaching club volleyball.

Player of Knockout training with a pro during a practice.

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Knockout Volleyball Continued.

There are things, like I pray to see one of girls on the national team and I was like Oh my god. This is one of the biggest coaches ever and I was like freaking out,” Fisher says with a smile on her face. They had a world famous volleyball come to the club and show them what hard works does. “She came to one of our, she ran a camp with us and she was like, we are gonna show us how she hits. I had to set her and I was freaking out my arms were shaking and uh I think the third one that she hit, she busted our ball. She popped our ball, it was absolutely insane,” Fisher says.

With starting a club they are handling the responsibilities and players to a standard higher than was set. The feeling they get knowing they are helping the community and girls give them a sense of pride.“It’s been fun, Jeff gets all the credit because he deserves it, he started it. I have been with it every dinner, you know so he was the one finding the people, you know I have a second job, he is there at the school able to do it while he is at the school. I am able to move around, I go to every tournament whether it’s my team or not, I am there from 6 am to even midnight sometimes. we don’t get paid anything, this the only reason I started the club so girls could have this opportunity because I had this opportunity. I think that every girl deserves to do that so that’s why we started a club.” People feel as if most girls are not able to really show their talent and athleticism because of the money issue. But they are eager to give girls the opportunity to play.“ And then there are girls that can afford to play but don’t want to, they aren’t hungry for it. haven’t played volleyball.

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A picture of the dripping springs youth sports association and Knockout volleyball coming together

And we want girls that are hungry for it, are hustlers and will run for the ball and that are going to do that.

I think that once these girls come in you know that haven’t played volleyball. We could make them want to play volleyball, just spend one day with us,” Fisher states.

“There are some girls who I love that are hungry for it and they love volleyball with the passion and drive.”

People in and around Austin are praising Knockout for their incredible hard working dedication and the opportunities they are giving girls. “I just want you to emphasize that our differences. A) how drastically different our prices are and it was I was reading this thing, that this softball player drive miles to play because it was good price. Right now it’s ¾ of girls scholarships and ¼ of girls who don’t play club get scholarships. you know I just want emphasize that we are trying to help the community, we want every girl to have every opportunity for every girl to play volleyball and to have an incredible coaching staff and let

The photo above shows players at knockout after a tournament.

16’s team posing after their first win.

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Making A Splash

High School has never been tougher.

These swimmers are conquering a whole new level of tough.

By: Jeremy Li

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“

You kind of create a family because you spend a lot of time together.

”

Racing. It is what lets us bring out our best.

But not everyone can do this particular race, because one also have to be able to coordinate your arms and legs while holding your breath. Most people think of swimming as an art (especially if one looks at the butterfly stroke), but at its simplest, swimming is moving your limbs through the water. If you make to the high school swim team, the races will intensify, the distances get longer, and the opponents become faster.

Making the high school swim team is great accomplishment. Thriving on it is harder, and it isn’t just swimming laps in the morning. These student athletes have to balance their school and athletic life, which is something not many people have to do. Even with all the challenges, swimmers love what they do.

Swimmers Danielle Lelinski, Caroline Denison, and Sean Ayers are all on the swim team, and this is why.

“I wanted to join the high school swim team because I wanted to continue learning and getting better at swim,” said Danielle Lelinski, a freshman who swims for Vandegrift High School.

Lelinski wanted to improve her swimming skills in every stroke, and when someone trains all week long, they are bound to do that.

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Swimmers must train all aspects of the stroke they are trying to perfect, from kicking to head position, from streamlines to dives.

Ayers believed that being on a team would help him with his people skills, so he could do better in group projects at school.

Caroline Denison, also a freshman who is Lelinski’s teammate, on the other hand, wanted to be active in high school. “I wanted to be apart of something at the high school,” she said.

Being on the swim team is a big commitment.

“My biggest challenge is juggling both swim and school,” said Lelinski. “Swim often takes up a lot of my time and then I also have a lot of homework.”

Denison said that she wanted to show school spirit, so she decided to join something athletic. She liked the idea of being apart of a swim team that had won the state championships last year.

Many swimmers face this challenge. After getting up and swimming hard for two hours, they often feel sleepy and are without energy. They must fight through the desire to lie down and sleep; instead, they go through the day like any other student.

Sean Ayers, a freshman who swims for LBJ, joined the swim team because he enjoyed being on a team. “I joined the swim team because I wanted to be part of a team experience,” he said.

“However, this challenge also teaches me to time manage,” said Lelinski.

Above: A close-up of the swimming pool where Ayers trains.

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Photo credit: Sean Ayers

Being forced to manage one’s time is something that is very helpful in the future. 70 percent high school students are not able to get enough sleep every night because they are watching videos of playing games or on social media.

Swimmers already have to wake up earlier than most people, so they learn time-management and organization skills, which helps them, not only in school, but when they are in the workforce.

What many non-swimmers don’t realize is the fact that 90 percent of swim practices start very early in the morning, typically from 6 to 7 o’clock. And while their brain is still muddy, their body is already pushing itself to your limits.

“[Our warm up is] usually a 200 freestyle, a 200 kick, and a 200 IM.” For some perspective, that’s 24 laps, swimming very hard when everything is still fuzzy. Then, they launch into a hard set, commonly something that is long and taxing, because there is no break in a 500 freestyle for time. Set after set after set, they learn to swim faster for longer. As Ayers put it, “[We swim for] about a thousand and a half yards,” which shows that swimmers swim a lot in the morning.

Even with all the challenges facing them, swimmers still love what they do.

“It gives me a kind of community I know I can always talk to. My favorite part [is the] encouragement given from the other swimmers. You kind of create a family because you spend a lot of time with each other,” Lelinski said.

High school can be tough, and it is always nice to have someone that can give advice when times get rough. Many students have issues with homework, and when one can have someone to help one, it’s a truly gratifying moment.

“[I like] the friends you make,” said Denison.

Denison spends about eight hours with her teammates in the morning, so she is gets a lot of time to talk with her them and make acquaintances and friends.

Lelinski agrees with her. “You kind of create a family because you spend a lot of time with each other.” She continued to say that a lot of upperclassmen help her with homework when she needs it.

Swimmers are very devoted to their sport, and the swim team team only deepens that love. As Ayers said, “Join the swim team, folks.” ◊

Photo credit: Sean Ayers

Above: Ayers, first from the bottom, in the yellow cap, swimming the 200 freestyle.

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The Strokes of Swimming • • • •

Butterfly

Famous Swimmers: Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz, Chad Le Clos Known as toughest stroke to learn Also known as most powerful-looking stroke Uses a dolphin kick-looks like flippers going up and down Tips: • Have 2 dolphin kicks: one with the pull, one after the arms enter the water over the top • Keeps chin low while breathing • Do more underwater dolphin kicks to swim less of the stroke

Breaststroke

• Famous Swimmers: Kosuke Kitajima, Cameron van Der Burgh, Adam Peatty • Swum in a prone position • The arms make small, fast, circular movements underwater • The legs make a whip-like motion while kicking Tips: • Swim the stroke downhill-shooting the hands down • The body should be at its highest point when the hands are under the chest • The kick should finish a little after the shoot on the pull

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By: Jermey Li

• • • •

Backstroke

Famous Swimmers: Aaron Peirsol, Ryan Murphy, Matt Grevers As the name suggests, it is the only stroke swam on one’s back Arms alternate Uses flutter kick, like in freestyle Tips:

• Face straight up with your head aligned with your spine • Enter the water pinky-first • Pull the water close to your body

Freestyle

• Famous Swimmers: Ian Thorpe, Cesar Cielo, Pieter van den Hoogenband • Most popular stroke • Arms are alternating • Uses flutter kick, where the legs alternate Tips: • Put one’s hand below the elbow when recovering • Take a fast breath so the will be less drag • Rotate slightly to reach more to grab more

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Behind the Scenes of Athletic Training Athletic trainers save lives

Photos and article by: Peyton Atchison

“I

Sue Torres wraps athlete Shelby Madrano’s hand after he sprained it it in a fierce collison.

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am basically holding people’s lives in my hands,” says Stella Fejas, a student athletic trainer.

Athletic Trainers do more than people think. Three trainers from LBJ high school and the University of Texas work around the clock to provide guidance and health care for their students and players for one reason only; they are passionate about helping people reach their goals in various ways.

“I love sports and athletes are very easy to work with because they are so motivated to get better,” says Sue Torres, also known as Doc, the athletic trainer at LBJ High school.

Although Doc works with high school students, Brian Farr, the athletic Trainer at UT, works with college students.

The difference between the two groups lies within the athlete and their willing to take medical assistance seriously enough that they do not interfere with treatment according to Torres and Farr.

“Sometimes you deal with the highschool kids who don’t take their health care seriously and don’t listen to what you want to do. [Those athletes] have a lot more undue influences that can hinder care,” says Farr.

A big obstacle that athletic trainers overcome is disagreeing with guardians of athletes over treatment and diagnosis.

“Parents can sometimes be difficult, especially when they won’t do what their child needs. So it’s very aggravating. Parents at the high school level are difficult,” says Torres.

Athletic trainers, Sue Torres and Stella Fejas rush on field during an LBJ v.s. Travis game to evaluate an injury.

The higher the level of play means the less athletes will contradict their advised treatments.

Farr believes that trainers find it easier to treat athletes who are more serious about using the sport as a career choice.

“Typically by the time you get to college and pros, you are pretty serious about what you want to do so they tend to try to listen more and take better care of themselves,” says Farr.

The difference in being an athletic trainer and a physical trainer is the kind of people who are receiving the treatment. Physical trainers typically work with the type of people who are unmotivated according to both Torres and Farr. “[I am] typically dealing with healthy people who want to excel, and that’s the fun part versus working to get people to just survive and live like some other types of medicine do,” says Farr.

Another big obstacle that athletic trainers face is pressure from coaches. Farr says, that even though most coaches don’t have what’s best for the player in mind, as an athletic trainer for upper levels, they really have to have their priorities set straight and put their foot down when needed.

“Looking for the athletes safety is first, because in upper levels there is a lot of pressure getting people back on the field as fast as you can and it’s not always the safest so you have to make sure you’re keeping people safe and keeping that a priority,” says Farr.

Along with keeping their priorities straight, athletic trainers also have the disincentive of long hours. After working all day, they are on call through the night.

College athletic trainers are lucky to get Christmas off if no one is hurt.

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Stella Fejas quickly wraps the scrap on athlete Jaylen Cleveland’s bicep so he can get back into the game.

“The hours are probably the biggest burnout for trainers in this service. Like I’m here between 8:30 and 9 [a.m.] until probably 8:30 [pm.]. It’s a 12 hour day,” says Torres.

Stella Fejas, 17, student of Torres, acknowledges the amount of her time that is consumed by on and off field training “The hardest part of this program is devoting your time to it because it is the mental and physical energy that goes into it because [the athletes] come dependent on you after awhile,” says Fejas.

Stella takes the introduction to sports medicine class taught

by Doc. One of the things she is taught is her observation skills.

This is a big part of being an athletic trainer in training.

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“[W]hen you’re out on the field you aren’t just watching football players and a football game, you’re watching every single one of your players out there; how their bodies are moving and how they are getting hurt and it’s like you have to be there in that moment,” says Fejas.

But what a lot of athletic trainers are not taught is the common sense aspect of it. Most people think it is all skill and knowledge but Farr will tell you that in reality there are a lot of common sense aspects that is picked up along the way.

“A big common sense aspect is the approach. If you remember that this is somebody’s child, if they are not yours, then your best interest in mind is that this is somebody’s kid that you need to take care of and I think that is the common sense approach that not everyone has or follows,” says Farr.

“The ability to help people reach their potential in doing what they want is my favorite part of being an athletic trainer.”

- Brian K. Farr

Reporter Peyton Atchison and UT athletic trainer, Brain Farr, flash their Hook em’ Horns.

Evaluation is the most important skill athletic trainers have to learn. Farr says it is the first stepping stone to becoming good at what they do. “[I]t’s the foundation, so if you do not have good evaluation techniques and skills then you can’t help people. You don’t know how to treat them, you don’t know how to rehabilitate them and tell what’s wrong with them.

It kind of takes a lot of detective type skills, reasoning, exercising information, and looking at a lot of stuff trying to figure out how it all plays into what’s wrong with somebody,” says Farr.

There are great benefits athletic trainers reap. Most athletic trainers end up creating a bond with the team or if they are a teacher, then they create a bond with their students.

“Getting to spend time with the athletes and people that are really passionate about what they wanna do.”

“The ability to help people reach their potenial in what they want is my favorite part of being an athletic trainer. I also really enjoy teaching students that wanna do sports medicine for a living,” says Farr.

Since Farr teaches athletic training classes to undergraduates he takes a big part in determining the future career of those students.

“I think helping clinical students become successful in finding their passion as athletic trainers is amazing. It’s a cool thing

to work with younger people who are again just like the athletes, trying to get to their ultimate goal of being a health care provider,” says Farr.

Even though there are a lot of behind-the-scenes work that athletic trainers do that discourage other potential trainers from being a trainer, most athletic trainer now will tell you the same thing: it’s worth it in the end. ◊

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The Best of Austin: The top 5 atheletes from Austin

by David Dawson

5

Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick is the most recent grand slam singles winner, and reach no. 1 in the world. He was ranked in the top 10 in the world from 2001-2010 in which he won 5 masters series in that time.

4

Sayna-Richards Ross

Saynas-Richards Ross acheved a personal best of a 48.7 sec 400m in 2006. She won the IAAF world female athelete of the year award in 2006. She won 6 IAAF Gelden League events in 1 year. She achieved all of this while maintaining a 4.0 GPA

3

Aaron Peirsol

He is a curren and pastime world rcortd holder, and a 7 time Olympic medalist. He is and ambassator for the World Water Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation.

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2

Drew Brees

He is an NFL quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He established 2 NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records. He has passed over 5,00 yards in 4 different seasons, which no other quarterback has done more

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong won 7 consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005. He was diagnosed with terminal testicular cancer. It was miraculously cured which saved his cycling career and his life. He is the founder of the Livestrong Foundation, whose purpose is to improve the quality of life of those affected by cancer.

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