Insider Behind the Scenes with...Tom HartAthletic Trainer
Tom Hart is in his first full season as athletic trainer for the Texas Brahmas. Along with coaches Dan Wildfong, Ron Vogel and equipment manager Philip Shipp, Hart is a regular fixture behind the Brahmas bench on game day.
A: Well, it was kind of by accident. I was doing a lot of contract athletic training for a friend of mine that works for Baylor Sports Care last year. When Alan Reid, who was the Brahmas trainer last year, interviewed and took a job with FC Dallas, the Brahmas had ended up going farther in the playoffs than anticipated and so when he had to leave, they were without a trainer. My friend Bill Borowski with Baylor knew that I had worked with junior hockey in Omaha for 10, 15 years. When Alan asked him if they knew anybody that could cover for him, he said, yeah, I know exactly the guy. So they called me and I was on board in about 24 hours. That’s how I got started last year.
Q: What is your background in sports medicine?
A: I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Doane College, a small private college in Nebraska. I went to graduate school down in Alabama at a school called the United States Sports Academy, and I spent a year at the University of Wisconsin -Whitewater, a Division III school, where I had an internship. So, I got my Master’s in Athletic Training/Sports Medicine.
Q: You came on board with the Brahmas at a pretty exciting time. How did it feel, to all of a sudden be in the middle of a playoff run with a championship caliber team?
A: It was pretty different because I didn’t know a lot about them. My wife and I had read about them, and had thought about maybe coming over to a game or two. So when they called, I thought it would be interesting. It was right in the middle of the series with Bossier-Shreveport and I had no idea about the rivalry between the two teams. The first two games I worked were games three and four of that series. It kind of reminded me of my days in juniors, with the Omaha-Des Moines, Omaha-Sioux City rivalries. I got a taste of that and then we went to Colorado, which was a pretty intense series. I kind of got thrown right into the fire, but it was pretty interesting and I really enjoyed it.
Q: The Brahmas have built upon their success of last season and are actually doing better this year. There’s another playoff run coming and the hope of making it to the championship series. How does it feel being a part of a successful hockey club like this?
A: Interestingly enough, the junior team that I worked with in Omaha never had a losing season. We only missed the playoffs once and we won a couple of national championships and various league championships, so it was nice for me to step in to a team that was really doing well because that’s really all I have been used to. I mean, fortunately I’ve never had to train, with hockey anyway, for a team that wasn’t successful. It helped me out. I think I was able to help them out a little bit with my experience. Obviously, as a professional team versus the amateur teams, it’s a little bit different. You have to handle the guys a little bit differently. All in all, they’re just hockey players. They’re pretty good guys. They’ve really treated me well since I’ve been here.
Q: For those who may not understand the scope of what your job is, can you, in a nutshell, break down your responsibilities as the team’s athletic trainer?
A: We always talk about the fact that our biggest job is the prevention of injuries and that all comes back to helping Dan and Ron and the coaching staff with some ideas as far as stretching, flexibility, conditioning, proper rest, proper nutrition, proper hydration; all of those things. If we can prevent the injury before it happens, we don’t have to deal with it.
But, there are things that happen on the ice; the bumps and bruises and flying pucks and flying fists…those things we can’t really prevent but we manage those injuries and help the guys get through that injury. Dr. Millican, Geoff Millican, our orthopedic guy that helps us out, is a really good resource for us. So, it’s mainly just managing those kinds of things; getting the player to the proper person to help them get rehabilitated through whatever that injury might be – sprains, strains, broken bones, fractures, things like that.
Once they’re able to get back on the ice, we try to get them back in physical condition, and just make sure it’s safe for them to come back from injuries. We try to help educate them on what their injury is; also a little bedside psychology, I guess you might say, to help them to cope with different things. That’s pretty much the scope of what I do.
Q: In your career, what’s been the worst on-ice injury you’ve had to contend with?
A: Probably the most serious on-ice injury I’ve had to deal with was actually a player from an opposing team. This was back several years ago, back when touch-icing was still the norm, and two guys were racing for a puck and got tangled up. He went feet first into the boards at full speed and actually fractured his femur, the big thigh bone; just snapped it in two. I’ve seen a lot of pretty serious face cuts, some pretty significant eye injuries from high sticks, things of that nature. No real bad concussions or really worrisome things.
Q: With the success of the team this season, how excited are you about the possibility of making it to the championship series?
A: I think it would be fantastic. Watching Dan and Ron put the team together this summer and knowing some of the guys that were coming back and meeting the new guys that are coming in…it’s been a really interesting process to watch this team come together and the additions we’ve made. You know, the veteran leadership that we have…it’s really, really just a good bunch of guys. It really is and they work hard. Dan works them hard and they buy into it. It’s really gratifying to watch them…the camaraderie and the behind the scenes things on the bus and in the locker room. They’re putting the effort into it, and in my opinion, they deserve everything they’re getting.
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