Wrestlers Facilities - Training Facilities and Personnel

Lake Park wrestlers, and all other Lake Park athletes, have access to athletic training facilities and a highly trained staff of Certified Athletic Trainers. This combination of facilities and trained staff provides high quality care to our athletes requiring care for sports injuries and/or rehabilitation.

Our athletes have immediate and daily access to Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs), a health professional trained and experienced in dealing with the injuries and health concerns of athletes. ATCs are responsible for the prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation of sports related injuries. ATCs administer emergency care for acute sports injuries and rehabilitate chronic injuries. ATCs work closely with physicians and other health care providers to ensure quality care for the athlete.

The Lake Park staff ATCs have extensive education and knowledge in a variety of areas including:

• anatomy,
• biomechanics,
• emergency care,
• nutrition,
• taping/bracing,
• strength and conditioning,
• injury/illness prevention and evaluation,
• treatment and rehabilitative techniques,
• psychology,
• pharmacology, and
• administration. 

Since 1995, the State of Illinois has required all ATCs practicing in the state to be licensed through the Department of Professional Regulation. This ensures that qualified individuals are caring for our athletes.

Lake Park Athletic Training Staff

Lake Park High School’s athletic training services are provided by AthletiCo Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, www.athletico.com. Mike Palm serves as the East Campus ATC. Mr. Palm has a Masters in Science and is a Licensed Certified Athletic Trainer. Following is his thumbnail bio. 

Michael Palm, MS, ATC, CSCS - Mike graduated from Western Illinois University in May 2002, where he received his degree in athletic training. He later received his Master’s degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh. Mike has been an employee of AthletiCo since August 2004. During the 2004-2005 season, Mike was an athletic trainer at Hoffman Estates High School. Before Mike joined AthletiCo, he was the athletic trainer for two inner city high schools in Pittsburgh. Mike also received his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification in 2003. Mike’s special interests lie in performance enhancement, and concussion management. Mike is an athletic trainer at West Campus during the fall sports season, and an athletic trainer at East Campus during the winter and spring seasons.

Lindsay VanderZanden, ATC - Lindsay received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in athletic training from Winona State University (MN) In May of 1999.  After college, Lindsay worked in Wisconsin as a certified athletic trainer for one year prior to moving to Chicago to join AthletiCo Physical Therapy in May of 2001. While working for AthletiCo, she have worked with

• Fenwick HS,
• St. Ignatius College Prep,
• Chicago Sport and Social Club,
• Windy City Field House

and other city events such as the annual Mayors Sports Festival and clinic facilities through out the city and suburbs. Lindsay has also had the opportunities to work with the men’s and women’s US National Soccer teams in Texas, Florida, France, and Brazil. Her special interest is in prevention of ACL injuries in female athletes and sports performance/enhancement. This past summer (’05) Lindsay successfully ran the ACL injury prevention camp with the St. Ignatius women’s soccer team. Recently, she has moved to the suburbs and now works at our Schaumburg AthletiCo facility and at Lake Park High School-West Campus.

Tracy Mize is a Master of Science in Education, Licensed Certified Athletic Trainer and serves as the ATC at West Campus and also serves as a Biology Instructor at the Freshman/Sophomore Campus.  She is now the athletic trainer at the East campus during the fall and spring seasons.

Traci Flowers-Valacak, Licensed Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist is the third ATC at Lake Park and assists between both campuses with athletic training duties. Traci also works through AthletiCo Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy with emphasis in the sport enhancement and personal training aspect of health care. The AthletiCo facility closest to Lake Park High School is located in Schaumburg, at 50 West Schaumburg Road. The phone number is (847) 490-7100.

Lake Park High School’s orthopedic physician is Dr. Bruce Goldberg from Stratford Orthopedics in Bloomingdale, Illinois. His expertise is in the areas of pediatric and adult orthopedics, sports medicine, and the hand. His office is located at Stratford North, 231 South Gary Avenue #101, Bloomingdale, IL 60108. His phone number is (630) 529-7708

The ATCs working through Lake Park High School can be reached by phone by dialing (630) 295-5252 for the East Campus and by dialing (630) 295-5305 for the West Campus.

Hopefully, our athletes will not require visits to the training room or immediate assistance due to a sports related injury. However, if they do, they have access to a great combination of trained professionals and excellent facilities.