University of Georgia Athletics
Lady Dogs' Athletic Trainer Assists USOC Training Center
April 25, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Athens, Ga. --- Shannon Becker, the athletic trainer for Lady Bulldog Basketball, is expanding her already impressive resume with a two-week stint at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
Becker's efforts are one of several steps that hopefully will result in her working within the Olympic movement on a much broader basis.
"There's a process in order to become involved with the USOC," Becker said. "The first step is to prepare all of your materials, resume, etc., and apply to be invited to one of the three training facilities. I'm at the second step, when you spend two weeks at a facility. At the end, you're given an evaluation letting you know if you can advance in the process.
"If you pass the evaluation, your name goes on a list that makes you eligible to work events or games within the U.S.," Becker continued. "From there you move on to traveling to international events and possibly ultimately to the Olympics. My goal was to get involved with USA Basketball. This is a step in that process."
"This is definitely an honor for Shannon," said Ron Courson, Director of Sports Medicine for the UGA Athletic Association. "Only a finite number of people from all across the country who apply are even chosen to make the step that Shannon is making. That speaks volumes for her credentials and the exceptional job she does for us here at Georgia."
Becker has spent the last three seasons working with the Lady Bulldogs. She came to Athens following stints as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Connecticut and two seasons as an athletic trainer intern with the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.
"Without a doubt, Shannon Becker is one of the best trainers working with any sport in America," head coach Andy Landers said. "We're blessed to have her, and we're certainly happy to share her with the U.S. Olympic movement. I know that she is a great addition to their training staff for their athletes."
The Chula Vista experience has provided Becker with exposure to athletes and sports she hasn't traditionally worked with like BMX, canoe and kayak and archery.
"Working with the different athletes from the different sports has been very enjoyable," Becker said. "For the most part, the athletes are very appreciative and genuine. I've interacted with paralympic athletes -- mainly in track -- training here and that's been an interesting and enjoyable exposure. There are a lot of international athletes here, which sort of surprised me. All the interactions with all the athletes from not only the U.S. but all over the world has been amazing. I've gotten exposure to sports I haven't seen and may never see again. Watching archery was pretty crazy."
Still, there have been some familiar faces during her visit.
"Ironically, our Georgia throwers are out here competing and I was visiting today with Coach Babbit and some of our athletes," Becker said. "I've met a ton of people from Georgia. A lot of them are involved in canoe and kayaking. "
Becker has spent a majority of her time working within an athletic training facility similar to Georgia's training room; however, she's eager for a change of pace this weekend with several competitions slated to be held in Chula Vista, including the USA Canoe/Kayak Team Trials for Flatwater Sprint, as well as international throws and pole vault competitions in track and field.
"Up to now, a majority of my time has been in the medical clinic throughout the day," Becker said. "Athletes come in for pre-existing conditions and we continue with their course of treatment. Others come in with new injuries and we help with evaluating and possibly helping with their care on site. This weekend, there are several events and we'll have a rotation of sorts quite a bit from Saturday and Sunday."
Courson also has worked within the Olympic movement and counts those experiences as invaluable.
"I've been fortunate enough to have had the chance to work three Olympic Games," Courson said. "It's an amazing experience. You meet people from all over the world and it helps expands your abilities. There's more than one way to skin a cat. We may handle treatment a certain way in America, but when you travel internationally and meet counterparts from Korea or England or Russia or anywhere, you may learn a knew method that's slightly different or even better. You get to meet different athletes and make contacts professionally, both from the U.S. and around the world. I have some very good friends I've made that I probably wouldn't have otherwise if I didn't have my USOC experiences."
Becker's efforts are one of several steps that hopefully will result in her working within the Olympic movement on a much broader basis.
"There's a process in order to become involved with the USOC," Becker said. "The first step is to prepare all of your materials, resume, etc., and apply to be invited to one of the three training facilities. I'm at the second step, when you spend two weeks at a facility. At the end, you're given an evaluation letting you know if you can advance in the process.
"If you pass the evaluation, your name goes on a list that makes you eligible to work events or games within the U.S.," Becker continued. "From there you move on to traveling to international events and possibly ultimately to the Olympics. My goal was to get involved with USA Basketball. This is a step in that process."
"This is definitely an honor for Shannon," said Ron Courson, Director of Sports Medicine for the UGA Athletic Association. "Only a finite number of people from all across the country who apply are even chosen to make the step that Shannon is making. That speaks volumes for her credentials and the exceptional job she does for us here at Georgia."
Becker has spent the last three seasons working with the Lady Bulldogs. She came to Athens following stints as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Connecticut and two seasons as an athletic trainer intern with the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.
"Without a doubt, Shannon Becker is one of the best trainers working with any sport in America," head coach Andy Landers said. "We're blessed to have her, and we're certainly happy to share her with the U.S. Olympic movement. I know that she is a great addition to their training staff for their athletes."
The Chula Vista experience has provided Becker with exposure to athletes and sports she hasn't traditionally worked with like BMX, canoe and kayak and archery.
"Working with the different athletes from the different sports has been very enjoyable," Becker said. "For the most part, the athletes are very appreciative and genuine. I've interacted with paralympic athletes -- mainly in track -- training here and that's been an interesting and enjoyable exposure. There are a lot of international athletes here, which sort of surprised me. All the interactions with all the athletes from not only the U.S. but all over the world has been amazing. I've gotten exposure to sports I haven't seen and may never see again. Watching archery was pretty crazy."
Still, there have been some familiar faces during her visit.
"Ironically, our Georgia throwers are out here competing and I was visiting today with Coach Babbit and some of our athletes," Becker said. "I've met a ton of people from Georgia. A lot of them are involved in canoe and kayaking. "
Becker has spent a majority of her time working within an athletic training facility similar to Georgia's training room; however, she's eager for a change of pace this weekend with several competitions slated to be held in Chula Vista, including the USA Canoe/Kayak Team Trials for Flatwater Sprint, as well as international throws and pole vault competitions in track and field.
"Up to now, a majority of my time has been in the medical clinic throughout the day," Becker said. "Athletes come in for pre-existing conditions and we continue with their course of treatment. Others come in with new injuries and we help with evaluating and possibly helping with their care on site. This weekend, there are several events and we'll have a rotation of sorts quite a bit from Saturday and Sunday."
Courson also has worked within the Olympic movement and counts those experiences as invaluable.
"I've been fortunate enough to have had the chance to work three Olympic Games," Courson said. "It's an amazing experience. You meet people from all over the world and it helps expands your abilities. There's more than one way to skin a cat. We may handle treatment a certain way in America, but when you travel internationally and meet counterparts from Korea or England or Russia or anywhere, you may learn a knew method that's slightly different or even better. You get to meet different athletes and make contacts professionally, both from the U.S. and around the world. I have some very good friends I've made that I probably wouldn't have otherwise if I didn't have my USOC experiences."
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