Phillip Vardiman is representing Kansas City at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Vardiman, the director of Kansas State University athletic training program and an associate professor in the College of Human Ecology, has been selected as an athletic trainer for the medical team that will support the U.S. track and field athletes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
View from the late shift @PVAMU Thanks to my friends at home @KStateFNDH @HawkGrips @CramerProducts @kstateHAT pic.twitter.com/HxeBxp5C5K
— Phillip Vardiman (@pvardiman) July 29, 2016
Vardiman is one of six athletic trainers on this elite medical team, which also includes two doctors, two chiropractors, two sports psychologists and three massage therapists. All medical staff members volunteer their time, talents and professional skill. Vardiman got his undergraduate degree at Park University .
Although it is his first trip to the Olympic Games, he has been working as an athletic trainer with USA Track and Field since 2008.
"Being selected as an athletic trainer for the Olympics is an honor and a privilege," Vardiman said. "It has been a professional goal since becoming a certified athletic trainer. The level of skill and the amount of experience that other medical team members bring to the team is amazing - everyone is at the top of their game and we learn so much from each other while treating the best athletes in the world."
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Alyson Bruner can be reached at alyson.bruner@kshb.com.
