ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – The National Athletic Trainers’ Association recently named Alice McLaine, an associate professor in the Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Performance, as one of its Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recipients.
McLaine accepted the award, which recognizes members for significant service, leadership, and advocacy at the district and national level, on June 22 at the association’s annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was one of 10 faculty members honored.
Mentor to Many
McLaine’s colleague, Martha Rivera, an assistant professor of athletic training, said: "In part, [Alice] demonstrates modesty regarding her accomplishments, involvements, and influences within our profession. Her impact on my career as an athletic trainer has led me to exceed the standards of education that she has set forth in her journey as an athletic trainer. I’m honored to call Alice my mentor and colleague as we continue to meet the evolving needs of the profession through athletic training education."
McLaine has been involved in athletic training education for her entire professional career. There are three areas which she felt she has had an impact: her on-going role as an athletic training educator, her role in the program committee of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers’ Association and the S.C. Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Symposia, and her involvement in the ATs Care Commission.
McLaine became involved in athletic training as a junior in high school and has maintained a passion for the field ever since. She was the head athletic trainer for women’s sports at Iowa State University for 10 years. During that time she worked with Division I college athletes and Olympians. After completing her Ph.D., McLaine worked for a California institution and then came to Winthrop in 2002 where she developed and obtained initial accreditation for the Athletic Training Program.
New Program Started in May
She and Rivera initiated a Master of Science in Athletic Training at Winthrop in May. The program at Winthrop consistently enrolls nearly 40 percent minority and first-generation college students.
“Many of the graduates have taken jobs in their home community and are making a huge difference in health care in that setting,” McLaine said. “Others have pursued graduate education, both master’s and doctoral degrees, and are employed in collegiate settings as clinicians or educators. Several graduates have taken positions in the industrial setting from Amazon to Frito Lay and are demonstrating the value of athletic trainers to such large corporations.”
In addition to undergraduate students, McLaine has worked with numerous graduate students on their thesis projects over the years. Many of these former students are employed in clinical and educational settings and have made a tremendous impact on the profession. “I have said on more than one occasion when I have seen the work of these amazing researchers that these are cases of the mentee far surpassing the mentor,” McLaine said. “I do believe that my ability to educate, to encourage, and to motivate students, whether undergraduate or graduate, to work hard and give back to the field of athletic training is my legacy.”
State and Regional Level Participation
On the state and regional level, McLaine’s work on the program committees for the annual symposia of both the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers’ Association and the South Carolina Athletic Trainers’ Association have been very rewarding. She helped ensure that conference programming helped meet specific criteria for South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control continuing education.
Meanwhile, McLaine’s work with the ATs Care Commission is an extremely gratifying aspect of her professional activity. When the idea for this commission was announced, she reached out to her district to find a way to become involved and was appointed as South Carolina’s member and is now the District 3 commissioner.
During her time on the ATs Care Commission, the organization has provided national call-in opportunities for members struggling with the impact of COVID-19. In addition to those national efforts, she has delegated outreach to team members and personally contacted individuals who were coping with a critical incident. The incidents have ranged from job burn out to the death of an athlete to the death of a spouse (on whom the AT performed CPR at home while waiting for EMS). “The ability to provide support to members who are in the midst of such a stressful time is gratifying and humbling,” McLaine said.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
