Susan Houlihan-Davis has been an athletic trainer helping City College student athletes for the past 30 years. She began her position during a time where there was no real female representation in athletics, let alone athletic training. Houlihan-Davis has been laying a foundation for sports to flourish in Santa Barbara.
Houlihan-Davis was the baby of her family with five older brothers. She had always been interested in sports as she followed in the footsteps of her brothers who played baseball, football, and basketball. From a young age she had seen a difference in the treatment that boys and girls were getting.
“I remembered wondering, why is this guy treating females so differently? I didn’t want that, so I knew something had to change,” said Houlihan-Davis.
In the beginning of her career at City College, Houlihan-Davis had started the athletic department by herself. Now after 30 years of teaching and building the program up she has two full time staff working with her to better aid the athletes at City College..
One of her assistant athletic trainers is Julianna Adelman, who was a student of Houlihan-Davis at City College in 2015.
“She’s taught me a lot over the years, as far as professionalism when being a trainer and being an advocate for yourself and those around you,” said Adelman. “ I don’t think I would be where I am today if I hadn’t taken her class. She taught me so much just in the classes I had taken with her, as well as the way she showed us what an athletic trainer should be.”
Working in the athletic department for 30 years, many may think Houlihan-Davis happiness comes from the success of her athletes. In actuality, her most rewarding moments are seeing those who suffered an injury get comfortable with playing the game they once loved.
“The biggest thing I see, especially at this level of athletics, is the reward of seeing someone play again after an injury. If they’ve had an injury that’s kept them out for half a year or more, getting them back from the injury is just the most rewarding,” Houlihan-Davis said. “I’ve had two students who have broken their necks and were able to regain function, so that was pretty amazing.”
The athletic training industry is no different to any other industry when it comes to being affected by technology.
“Everything nowadays is shorter. It can be challenging trying to keep the athletes on schedule, and now there are more mental health effects we look out for,” Houlihan-Davis said.
With the rapid recovery time athletes might not be in the condition to return to the field mentally.
“One component we are really serious about with injuries is mental health,” Houlihan-Davis said. “Someone can seem physically ready but mentally they might be scared to death that the injury might happen again which is a massive red flag, so we make sure that they get the right resources that they need whether it be counseling or some more treatment.”
In addition to the local growth of the department, athletic training as a field itself has changed since Houlihan-Davis once started practicing.
“I started learning as a sophomore in high school. Back then the industry was 45% female 55% male, but now it’s completely flipped,” Houlihan-Davis said. “ With the medical field changing rapidly, many new techniques are introduced to us through NATA.”
The National Athletic Trainer’s Association, is an association for certified athletic trainers and governs the whole world of athletic training.
“They hold annual seminars and webinars to talk about new things happening in the field,” Houlihan-Davis said. “It’s been helpful since I’ve been out of school for a while now, I’m still able to learn and be eager about new things.”
Having provided nothing but unconditional support for all students at City College, Houlihan-Davis is hosting a fundraiser for her 30th year anniversary. A 30 for 30, is her way of reconnecting and giving back.
“Hopefully with the fundraiser I can provide students who work for us with uniforms, and help the athletic trust,” Houlihan-Davis said. “It’s fun reaching out to old students and reconnecting with some people I haven’t talked to in years.”
