Injuries have ended many an athletic career.

A strained hamstring derailed Carol Jarosky’s business career.

Carol Jarosky adjusts a knee brace during a recent practice. Jarosky, who was promoted in May after working as a KU assistant athletic trainer for seven years, is the first woman to serve as head football athletic trainer at Kansas.

Fifteen years ago, Jarosky was a student-athlete at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., not far from her hometown of Downers Grove. She played softball and studied business until a nagging injury intervened during her sophomore year.

“I was constantly in the training room,” said Jarosky, who became Kansas University’s first female head football athletic trainer in May. “I became the injured athlete. I saw what was going on in the training room and thought, ‘This might be something I’m interested in.'”

Jarosky changed her major from business to physical education and transferred to Northwest Missouri State, where she completed her softball career and her undergraduate degree. She moved on to Nebraska and earned a master’s degree in education administration.

No one tried to talk her out of the change.

“I’ve always been involved in athletics,” said Jarosky, who played softball and basketball in high school. “My family saw it as a natural progression.”

Breaking barriers

Jarosky’s progression has been exceptional. The 35-year-old woman is playing a major role in a male-dominated sport.

About half the 20,000 registered athletic trainers in the United States are women, but female trainers in men’s sports remain rare.

Ariko Iso of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the only full-time female trainer in the NFL. The NBA’s Houston Rockets have a female assistant trainer. There are no full-time female trainers in the NHL or major league baseball.

Carol Jarosky helps a player stretch during practice. Jarosky is the first woman to serve as head football athletic trainer at Kansas. She was promoted in May after seven years as an assistant athletic trainer at KU.

“With her being the first female trainer at KU, there will be a lot of pressure on her, but I think she’ll do a good job,” said Larry Magee, KU’s director of sports medicine and team physician. “There are going to be a lot of people watching her to see how she does. I have complete confidence in her.”

Jarosky spent seven years at KU as an assistant athletic trainer, working with football, women’s basketball, softball, volleyball and golf programs at different times before devoting her full attention to football in May.

“There’s a handful of women out there that are working with football,” said Jarosky, who also spent the last three years as KU’s rehabilitation coordinator. “I believe I’m the only one who’s a head football trainer whose sole responsibility is football.”

Ed Lochrie, who preceded Jarosky as the Jayhawks’ head football trainer, left to take a similar job at Minnesota. Coach Mark Mangino said gender was not an issue when seeking a replacement.

“That never entered my mind,” he said. “We’re looking for the best people to be on our staff to build our program. It doesn’t matter if they’re male or female. She was highly

qualified. I observed her during spring drills. I thought it was a slam dunk.”

Mangino’s players agree.

“Carol’s awesome,” said senior receiver Harrison Hill, who is returning this season after missing most of last year because of a shoulder injury. “I mean, she’s a really great trainer. She was the head rehabilitation person last year, so she knows how to get you back fast. In the past the majority of people in that job were men, but she’s great and obviously the most qualified for the job.”

While fear of sexual harassment has prevented some pro teams from bringing women into men’s training rooms, Jarosky has had no problems with the Jayhawks nor does she anticipate any.

“I’ve had guys that have tried to push the boundary a little bit, thinking they could get away with … thinking I might be more lenient if they don’t show up for treatment,” she said. “But guys have learned very quickly that I’m very businesslike and they will be held accountable for their actions.”

In fact, Jarosky won’t hesitate to throw a player out of the training room if he’s not focused on his rehab.

“We don’t need extra bodies in here,” she said. “If you’re here to work, you bet I’ll be there for them. If they’re here to goof off, they’re wasting my time.”

Two-a-days

And time is precious to Jarosky, especially during two-a-day practices when 16-hour shifts aren’t uncommon.

“The biggest challenge is the same as it would be with a male coming into the position keeping up with the physical demands of the job,” Magee said.

Jarosky arrives at 6:30 a.m. Players who need treatment must arrive by 8 a.m. so that athletic trainers can evaluate and treat injuries before practice. Jarosky then attends a coaches meeting to discuss injuries and the status of players who might need to be held out of practice or have their participation limited.

“Carol’s a very good trainer,” Magee said. “They (Mangino and Jarosky) have a very good working relationship as far as communication is concerned.”

Jarosky’s staff one full-time trainer, one graduate assistant and 11 student assistants spends two hours with the team before practice, taping ankles, bracing knees and treating injuries. One trainer might spend up to 45 minutes giving treatment such as electrical stimulus or stretching to an individual player.

The staff also must prepare the practice fields, carting four wheelbarrows of Gatorade and water to keep athletes hydrated and sponge buckets to keep them cool.

Emergency equipment, such as defibrillators, also must be taken to the field.

Athletic trainers spend two to 2 1/2 hours on the field during practice, delivering drinks and wet sponges and treating injuries, among other tasks.

Another 90 minutes is spent after practice on cleanup and treatment.

During two-a-days, the grueling process is repeated.

In addition, athletic trainers provide drinks during team meetings after practice to keep players hydrated, and they provide additional treatment for injured players after meetings.

Keeping up with the rigorous schedule is crucial.

“Any trainer has to gain the confidence of the football players,” Magee said. “They have to have faith in her treating their injuries. She has a step up because she was here last year.”

Magee, who has worked with KU athletics since 1988, said gender wasn’t as much of a factor as it used to be.

“There’s a lot of good female trainers, just like there’s a lot of good male trainers,” he said. “Male trainers work with female teams. There are situations like that. They just don’t get as much publicity.”

Looking ahead

Though Jarosky is unique in her field now, she doesn’t expect to be for long. Five of KU’s 11 student assistant trainers are women.

“The players who are in college now will be used to female trainers when they become head coaches,” Jarosky said. “They’ll be more and more comfortable with hiring women as head football trainers. It’s a slow progression.”

While the 90-degree heat, high humidity and long hours take their toll during two-a-day practices, Jarosky is glad she’s not cooped up in a business office.

“To this day, I have no regrets about my change of course,” she said. “In fact, I’m ecstatic. I don’t see myself behind a desk. I have too much energy.”