Lucas Dargo, assistant professor of exercise science and athletic training, discusses Manchester’s Master of Athletic Training Program and his advice for current students.

“How did you become interested in athletic training?”

“I was a manager for the basketball team when I was a junior in high school, and I sat right next to the athletic trainer all the time. We had a collision of three athletes where they were diving for a ball and all three of them lost teeth. I remember it being very bloody, and I told the athletic trainer, ‘I am so glad I’m never going to be an athletic trainer. Your job sounds terrible.’ Fast forward a couple years, and he actually ended up working for Ball State and preparing me to be an athletic trainer, ironically enough.

In my senior year [of high school] I had a new athletic trainer, and she was the one that just kept saying ‘Hey, I know you want to teach but have you thought about athletic training?’ and she kept pushing. I met Manchester’s head athletic trainer at Ball State, and I decided my senior year that this is what I want to do. All along, I thought I was learning a lot of reasons why I didn’t want to be an athletic trainer, but it turned out that I was always meant to do this. I still can’t believe I have been certified for over five years and have been a practicing athletic trainer. It goes by so fast.”

 “What are you most looking forward to as our MAT program grows?”

           “I am most looking forward to growing our cohorts, building our program, increasing our enrollment and developing new clinical partnerships. There’s a lot of growth [in the athletic training field] that’s going to happen in the next year, and I want that growth to reflect at Manchester because that’s what I’m here for.”

 “What would you want prospective students to know about our master’s program?”

           “Our master’s program is being taught by top notch individuals, and I don’t just say that because of myself. Between Jeff Beer, Dr. Huntington (our dean) and Erin Foreman, who is our head athletic trainer – between the four of us, we have a great deal of experience as practicing clinicians and so we can really bring that experience from the field into the classroom.”

 “What advice would you give to the current master’s students?”

           “My current advice is hang in there! I promise that it’s all going to pay off. Everything that we have you doing right now, there is a purpose behind it. We’re so thankful you chose Manchester and allowed us to give you this education.”