NORMAL, Ill. – A four-sport athlete at Shelbyville High School, Redbird volleyball athletic trainer, Megan Smith, was regularly active and involved in soccer, swimming and diving, gymnastics and track and field growing up. Aspiring to be the next Mia Hamm, she found her favorite sport to play was soccer at a young age, but Smith recalls trying any and every sport offered in small town Indiana.
"Sports were a big thing in my household growing up," Smith shared. "My two younger brothers and I were always involved in one or more sports at the same time. I was a tomboy growing up, without a doubt."
Smith's parents played a huge role in sparking her interest in sports as a child. Her mother was a swimmer growing up, while her dad played collegiate football.
"They (her parents) saw the benefit that came with playing sports growing up," said Smith. "That mentality translated into life lessons and becoming our biggest cheerleaders in life."
After being injury prone during her junior and senior years, she was forced to spend a lot of time with her high school's athletic trainers, Kyle Witkemper and Amy Shipp, which sparked an interest in the field of athletic training.
"After spending so much time with them, I learned a lot and became very interested in pursuing a career in the profession," Smith commented.
An outlet to stay involved in sports, Smith made the decision to attend Purdue University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in science with an emphasis in athletic training. The decision to be a Boilermaker was an easy one for Smith.
"A good number of my family members were Boilermakers, so I grew up knowing and rooting for Purdue," Smith shared. "My grandpa was one of the wisest men I have ever known, and I wanted to be like him, which meant getting the education from the same university – although he was an engineer, not an athletic trainer. The Purdue athletic training program is also a stand-out program, which attracted me even more."
She went on to continue her education after graduating from Purdue, securing her master's degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2016.
"My two younger brothers went to undergrad at Oklahoma and my aunt worked there, so they had been a team to cheer for regularly," Smith said. "When it came to applying to places for grad school, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a Sooner."
While attending Oklahoma, Smith worked with the men's tennis and women's volleyball teams as a graduate assistant athletic trainer. Her experience with the Sooners helped her find an unexpected love for the game of volleyball, primarily because of the student-athletes she assisted.
"I wasn't a volleyball player growing up – unless you include middle school volleyball," Smith joked. "For that reason, the game of volleyball has challenged me to learn and understand the minute details that go into the sport, which I love. There was one girl I used to work with regularly when I was working on my master's degree who understood that I had not worked with volleyball before and was happy to explain specific details to me. She was a great person who excelled in anything that she put her mind to and taught me about the game so I could better treat her and her teammates."
Her experience has been the same since she arrived at Illinois State. Not having any prior connections at ISU (before later finding out that one of her preceptors from Purdue, Jeff Stein, was an ISU athletic training alum), Smith found that the Bloomington-Normal area was a location she could learn to love. With proximity to her hometown and major cities, such as Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis, she made the jump closer to home and joined the Illinois State athletic training staff in July 2016.
Smith was able to form a special bond with the Redbird volleyball program, which helped make her transition fairly smooth when she first arrived on campus. She recalls one of the coolest trips she has been on with the team was during a pre-season tournament her first year with the Redbirds when the team traveled to Los Angeles, California. Smith had been with the team just a couple of weeks, but she was able to explore the area, while bonding with the team to get to know them.
"We (the volleyball program) have built a great working relationship," expressed Smith. "Watching them grow into mature women who dominate on and off of the court has been very rewarding for me. I love my student-athletes, which has helped volleyball become one of my favorite sports to work with. I have always expected them to show up every day and give me their best, and they expect the same from me."
Every day in the athletic training room is different for Smith, depending on the season.
"I will start off the day with either volleyball conditioning coverage or administrative duties, which will continue through lunch or so," Smith explained. "I will have my athletic training students come in 2-3 hours before practices to help complete proficiencies or any other daily tasks that may need to be completed before the volleyball team comes in.
Around an hour-and-a-half ahead of practice, the team will start coming into the athletic training room to complete ankle and/or shoulder pre-habilitation, individual rehab plans, taping and pre-practice treatments. My students and I will then go to all volleyball practices and perform post-practice treatments at the conclusion."
It is evident that Smith is fueled by competition. She finds something she is passionate about and goes after it. For example, she will be wrapping up her first Spartan Trifecta at the end of June after completing the Montana Sprint (3+ miles, 23-30 obstacles) in Bigfork, Montana, and the Ohio Beast (12+ miles, 30-35 obstacles) in Garrettsville, Ohio, earlier this summer. The final leg of the Trifecta will be in Richmond, Illinois, where Smith will battle in the Chicago Super, executing 8+ miles and 24-29 obstacles to earn her medal.
"I have always been an athlete and competitor, and I did my first Spartan race when I was a student at Purdue," shared Smith. "I have run multiple races since then, but this is the first summer that I decided to go for the Trifecta. I love Spartan races because it tests your physical and mental abilities on the course, but also is a race where we are all one community helping each other fight these obstacles currently in our path."
Approximately one week after the culmination of the Spartan Trifecta, the limitless Smith will continue her biggest passion – athletic training – overseas with the USA Collegiate National Volleyball Team. She will leave the country at the beginning of July and serve as the European Global Challenge's athletic trainer for three weeks, as the USA Collegiate National Volleyball Team will play throughout parts of Italy and Croatia. International travel is no stranger to Smith, as she has been to England, Ireland, Wales, China and Japan.
In her first year at ISU, one of the former volleyball assistant coaches she worked with at Oklahoma, Kyle Robinson, informed Smith about the opportunity to serve with the collegiate national team. She had missed the application deadline, but was determined to not let it happen again, as she applied this past fall for the position. With help of a strong recommendation from Robinson, and continued success in her current role with the Redbirds, Smith was blessed to be accepted as the athletic trainer.
"I love to travel and I am excited to see what Italy and Croatia are like," Smith expressed. "I love what I do and this seemed like an opportunity that I couldn't pass up, especially after talking to Kyle (Robinson). I have traveled internationally before, but this will be my first trip out of the country for something related to my job."
Smith is hoping that this will be the first of many opportunities to travel internationally for work with a team she serves, and until her next opportunity arises, she plans to continue to live her life with limitless ambition.
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