Who’s Who for
Success in Sports
For student athletes hoping to play on the collegiate level
and beyond, it’s important to understand the impact of and
importance of the various relationships athletes have with
other university personnel. Tim Lutz is the Sports Information
Director for Auburn University Montgomery and has been the
assistant sports information director at Troy University, the
University of South Alabama and the University of Louisiana
Monroe. Here’s his list of the top-10 most impactful people
within a university for a student-athlete.
1. Coaching Staff: The relationship between a coach and
a student-athlete is unique, because they count on each other to
experience success.
2. Teammates: There is no tighter bond within an athletic
department than that of a team.
3. Athletic Trainer: Members of the training staff spend
time, prior to, during and after practices and competitions with
student-athletes to ensure they are able to perform at a strong
level.
GROWING FIELD
Tony Bridges is a Certified Strength & Conditioning
Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Sports Performance
Coach who works at Rehab Associates. He has worked
with high school teams and college athletes and shares
this with Potential:
“With advances in the science of human performance,
nearly all coaches have come to recognize the advantages
of conditioning in high-level competition. Strength and
conditioning among college and professional athletes
is an expectation that creates faster, higher performing
athletes who are less prone to
injuries. The salaries for this career
has escalated significantly over
the last 10 years. Unlike personal
trainers, this field requires a
bachelor’s and usually a master’s
degree (with heavy emphasis on
kinesiology), experience and
certification.”
4. Professors: Campus professors evaluate academic
progress and have a relationship with the student outside their
arena of competition.
5. Compliance Coordinator: They serve as a checks
and balance system for the student-athlete from an academic and
competitive standpoint.
6. Athletic Director: As the figurehead of the department,
the athletic director aspires to have all student-athletes and
programs performing at an elite level.
7. Tutors/Advisors: Tutors are available to all students on
campus, but are especially helpful to student-athletes who might
miss class time to do athletic competitions.
8. Fellow Student-Athletes: Even though they are
competing on different fields of competition, fellow studentathletes endure the same struggles regardless of sport.
9. Sports Information Director: Outside of their
family, a student-athlete likely has no bigger fan than the Sports
Information staff.
10. University and
Athletics Administration:
The University administration
and staff within the athletic
department set the standard for
the culture around campus.
AUM Sports Information Director,
Tim Lutz
www.potentialmagazine.com
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