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Bill currently serves as a full time athletic trainer at Mt. San Antonio College where he is the Head Athletic Trainer for Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Cross Country, Golf, and Track and Field, and assists with the other athletic programs at Mt. SAC.  He is also the medical coordinator for the world famous Mt. SAC Relays, Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational, the Foot Locker Western Regional Championship, and the US National Pole Vault Summit.

Bill had the opportunity this summer to represent our country at the Rio Olympic Games. He was a member of the USA Track and Field (USATF) Sports Medicine Staff, and provided care to our Olympic Track and Field stars while they represented the United States in their quest to bring home medals for our country. He was one of 6 athletic trainers in a multi-disciplinary group of sports medicine professionals appointed by USATF to help provide daily care for the track and field athletes of Team USA, and the only athletic trainer to represent Junior College / Community College athletic trainers. It was an amazing experience for Bill to support our athletes behind the scenes and help our athletes have the best chance to be on the podium and represent our country.  He began working with USA Track and Field in 2006 and has been an athletic trainer for our USATF national teams at the youth, junior, and senior levels participating in international competition. It has been a long road for Bill. It has been a 10 year commitment for him to be appointed to this year’s Olympic Staff. Bill applied for the Olympic Staff in 2012 but was not selected to the staff for the London Olympic Games, but he did not allow this setback to deter him from reaching his goal of being on an Olympic Staff. He maintained his perseverance and continued to work hard (pay his dues) to earn the respect of elite athletes and coaches, and finally received an appointment to the National Staff for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

”It was an amazing to experience being a representative of our country first hand. To have the privilege to take care of those who millions of people watch perform during the Olympics was truly humbling and a great honor”.  During these Olympic Games, Bill had the opportunity to work with Olympic Medalists such as Allyson Felix, Justin Gatlin, LaShawn Merritt, Jenny Simpson, English Gardner, Michelle Carter, Joe Kovacs, Trayvon Bromell, Sam Kendricks, Sandi Morris, and many others. Getting to these Olympic Games has been a long journey with many steps along the way. He hopes to set his sights on being appointed to the Olympic Staff for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

 

 

Courtesy of Bill Ito and the FWATA PR Committee