The month of March is Athletic Training Month, and Concordia Chicago Athletics is highlighting people who made an impact on the athletic training department. For this first feature, we will talk about men's lacrosse and women's soccer athletic trainer Patrick Chun.
 
The CUC alum came to River Forest in 2001, working in the athletic training room under Terri Woods. He began his career at Concordia Chicago majoring in athletic training, but the program was discontinued before his senior year. He decided to stay at CUC and earn a degree in exercise science in 2005. Then, he made his way to North Park University, where he got his degree in athletic training in 2009.
 
But before his career fully launched after graduating from North Park, Chun already began paving the way for his future.
 
"At North Park, I actually got to meet [CUC's current head athletic trainer] Chris Anderson," Chun said. "He could tell I already knew what I was doing thanks to Terri, so he gave me some independence to cover some sports. I didn't cover anything by myself, but he let me lead the way."
 
He even had the opportunity to work as a rehab assistant for Athletico, which launched his career with the company. Since he was a student at CUC, he has been and still is an employee of the company.
 
Chun spent the last 16 years in this field, working in many different athletic departments. He started at various high schools in the area followed by a stint with the Chicago Steel, which is a minor league hockey team in the area. He then made his way back here to Concordia, which is where his career began.
 
If it wasn't for his time with Athletico, Chun would not have experienced all of these different environments from high school all the way to professional sports. Athletico placed him at each of his stops as the teams contracted the company to be their athletic trainer. And this is exactly how he ended up back at his alma mater.
 
"Whenever a recruit comes around, I always try to mention how there is a lot of pride in this program," Chun said. "I try to make sure that when they are on campus, you are going to get top-notch, quality care. And that's because I care about this place. I know there is a lot of opportunity here."
 
With all of these experiences, Chun learned about himself as an athletic training while gaining new skills along the way. He shadowed seasoned trainers to learn new ways to do his job while figuring out what kind of athletic trainer he wanted to be.
 
One of those techniques he learned from Wood. He saw games in a new light, watching what happens with the players instead of what happens with the play. This way, he is able to predict where an injury may occur.
 
"I always remembered this: in basketball, when a shot goes up, you don't want to watch the ball, you want to watch the feet," Chun said. "You want to see what happens, but you need to anticipate when an injury is going to happen. I've had to pull myself from being a fan and learn to watch the whole play."
 
Chun's love for athletic training began back when he was in high school recovering from an ACL injury. Since then, he embraced every opportunity during his time in the field. He loves working with athletes through some of the toughest moments in their lives while helping them get back to the game they love.
 
He encourages everyone interested in the field to pursue a career in athletic training and it's possible even without majoring in athletic training as an undergraduate student. He is a prime example of how to make that happen here at Concordia Chicago.
 
One piece of advice Chun has for all aspiring athletic trainers is to network. Whether it is through shadowing a trainer, getting involved in the athletic training department on campus, or finding some other way to get involved, it is crucial to meet others and ensure this is the right career path.
 
"You have to experience it for yourself," Chun said. "We're there from the start of the athlete's worst day of their life to maybe their happiest when they get back onto the court. If you're interested in this, you have to get a taste of this for yourself."