Q&A With Children's Mercy Athletic Trainer

By declaration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May is National Health and Fitness Month. Tennis is a great practice in health and fitness, and Children’s Mercy helps USTA Missouri Valley players stay on the court!

The USTA Missouri Valley caught up with Ron Wollenhaupt, an athletic trainer at Children’s Mercy, to pick up some tips for staying healthy while playing tennis.

USTA: What’s your role at Children’s Mercy, and how does it overlap with tennis?

Ron Wollenhaupt: “I’m an athletic trainer for Children’s Mercy, and the athletic trainer at Leavenworth High School. Last summer, Children’s Mercy and the USTA Missouri Valley partnered to cover the USTA’s events. I’ve been covering USTA events since 2015, but we thought it would be great to [officially] partner with the USTA because I would hear from the coaches and the officials and the parents that they wished we were there more often.”

USTA: What do you love about being an athletic trainer, and about covering tennis?

RW: “I like the psychological part of being an athletic trainer. I like watching my athletes overcome some of the barriers and watching them succeed after an injury. Of course, working together with the athlete and helping them through some of those obstacles and hurdles. I like two things about tennis. I love the medical timeout. I never want the players to have to use them, but I love being able to go out onto the court, because the player has called me out there to help them with what they have going on. The other part I love about tennis is the atmosphere.”

USTA: What are some of the injuries that you run into most often when working in tennis?

RW: “The two biggies are muscle cramps and dehydration. We mostly see it at the junior level, but it happens at all levels. You just never know when they’re going to strike. Physically, we see tendinitis quite a bit, just because of the repetitive motion. We see back strains because players hit the ball so hard and do so much on their serve, which can also cause wrist issues.”

USTA: What are some of the best ways to prevent these types of injuries?

RW: “As far as cramping goes, being conditioned is the best option. You might be out on the court for three hours, so you’ve got to be prepared to play for three hours. Hydrating is important too, and it starts days before the tournament… On the day of the tournament, your urine should be clear. If it’s not, that means it’s time to start seriously hydrating. As far as other injuries, just do your strength and conditioning. After practicing on the court, go to the gym and get in some tennis-specific exercises. You can get creative with doing core and agility exercises, and make it fun to go to the gym while working just as hard. What I preach to my players at all times is yoga. I’ve had so many elite athletes tell me that when they started doing yoga, they noticed a huge difference.”