Welcome back to The Campus Game and our continuing series on “Careers in Sport.”
For the past month or so, these profiles have provided regular Campus Game readers, and college students interested in pursuing sport-related careers, with authentic information from both seasoned and new practitioners working in sports.
We are not limiting our subjects to one specific area of sport; instead the purpose is to highlight a range of potential career avenues.
Our previous subjects included Chuck Dunlap (Associate Director of Media and Public Relations for the Southeastern Conference), Claude Felton (Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Communication at the University of Georgia), and Hillary Jeffries (Director of Special Projects for the National Football Foundation).
For our fourth profile, we return to the Classic City of Athens to feature Steve Bryant.
Name: Steve Bryant
Organization
University of Georgia Athletic Association
Current Position
Associate Athletic Trainer
Educational Background
M.ED. Sports Administration, University of Georgia (1984)
B.S. ED. Physical Education, University of Georgia (1981)
Associate of Arts, Gordon Junior College (1978)
Summary of Position/Job Responsibilities
Oversee Sports Medicine for the Olympic Sports at UGA
Oversee Medical Coverage for NCAA Events at UGA
Athletic Trainer for Men’s/Women’s Golf Programs
Previous Positions/Background
I started in this field of work in the 8th grade as a manager/trainer for the football teams in Elbert County (GA). I worked as the trainer for women’s basketball at Gordon Junior College in Barnesville (GA), and then as a student athletic trainer and Graduate Assistant at UGA. As I finished my Graduate Assistantship I moved to a full-time position and have remained at UGA since.
Most Enjoyable Aspects of Your Position
There are too many enjoyable aspects of this job: Working with some of the greatest athletes in the US, constantly being part of a “Team” atmosphere where the goal and mindset is always winning, seeing athletes come back from injuries to be able to compete, and seeing the success of the athletes after they finish their collegiate careers.
Most Challenging Aspects of Your Position
Time demands (the job is definitely 24/7/365) and being able to balance the duties of the job with those of being a husband and father.
Busiest Time of the Year
Two times are the busiest … one being the first of August, which we call the “Start-Up” (getting everyone in the system and getting all of the sports cranked up). The second is late Spring. We have school finishing and it is “Championship Time” as we host a lot of NCAA and Conference Championships.
To Unwind and Relax I:
Fishing is # 1, but I hardly get to do it. Reading books is as peaceful as it gets (until the cell phone rings). Going to the lake.
Advice for Students (or those seeking to work in sports)
1. Before going into this field you better know exactly what the time demands are …
2. Always do the right thing!!! …
3. Work as hard as you can every day — it will definitely pay dividends.
The Campus Game 