Whether you have been to MUSC Health Stadium to watch a match in person or just watched the Charleston Battery on TV, you have probably seen Bobby Weisenberger on the sideline in his trademark red hat.

Weisenberger is the head athletic trainer for the Charleston Battery, and his job goes way beyond just tending to injured Battery players during the match. It’s what goes on between match days that he says makes his job in sports medicine one of the best jobs there is.

Weisenberger, like coach Mike Anhaeuser, is a fixture in Battery lore. Now in his ninth year with the Battery, he has been a part of two of the four Battery championships. Through his Twitter account, he gives an inside look at training and updates on the King of Charleston, Ataulla Guerra and Curtis.

With the expansion of the USL game schedule in recent years, the athletic trainer has had to work even harder to oversee treatment and care for the litany of ailments players endure during the season, from a season-ending knee injury to knocks and strains, from practice to something as simple as getting a knot out of a shoelace.

In this edition of Beyond the Touchline, Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea sits down with Weisenberger to learn more about the job he loves.

As I understand it, Bobby, you do not actually work for the Battery… you work for MUSC Health System. What exactly is your role as head athletic trainer for the Battery and what does your schedule look like during the season?

That’s correct, I am employed by MUSC Health System and assigned to the Charleston Battery. My role as the head athletic trainer is to basically be the front line for all the players medical care. I am on call to the players 24/7, and they know they can reach out at any time if they have a medical question or concern. While the players’ health and safety are my primary responsibilities, I also take an active role in the players’ sports performance, nutrition and also design programs geared toward injury prevention.

During the season, my schedule is pretty full with training sessions all week and games typically on the weekends. Since I am on-site for any and all training sessions and games, I work a minimum of six days a week along with any associated travel to and from games. There are many times when the travel actually overlaps our “day off.”

How did you did get your job as the head athletic trainer? When did you decide you wanted to be an athletic trainer and what kind of schooling and credentials are required?

I wish I have an awesome story, but it was pretty simple. MUSC had the medical contract with the Charleston Battery for three years with another athletic trainer working with the team. During that time, I was around the club a good bit working with the youth camps, working for visiting clubs who came to town without an athletic trainer, and doing rehab with recovering players who were left in Charleston when the team traveled for games.

In the offseason prior to the 2010 season, the athletic trainer who was working with the team decided to leave, which opened the position. I expressed my interest in taking over the position with my supervisors at MUSC and they got approval from team president at the time, Andrew Bell, and head coach Mike Anhaeuser.

I decided I wanted to be an athletic trainer while doing rehab in high school. I did something dumb as a player when I walked out on the field, dropped a ball and struck a shot before warming up which caused me to sustain a fairly bad quad injury. My school didn’t have an athletic trainer on-site and only had one visit twice a week for practices and games.

Because of this, I drove over to and spent a lot of time in the clinic working with the athletic trainer and physical therapist trying to get myself back on the field. The time I spent with them opened my eyes to the profession, and I knew that was what I wanted to do.

To become an Athletic Trainer, you have to complete and graduate from an accredited Athletic Training Education Program, and the entry level is a master’s degree. After you graduate you will have to take and pass the National Athletic Trainer’s Association Board of Certification Exam to become nationally certified. After you pass your NATA exam you will also have to either get certified or licensed in the state.

What kind of equipment do you have at your disposal to ensure players can reach their optimum performance?

Along with the full gym, we have several different tools to use with the players to assist with their warm-up and recovery. On site, we use hot packs, hot and cold whirlpools, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, Game Ready, and just added Normatec Recovery. We also have access to chiropractic and massage therapy services.

What kind of injuries do you typically see and what kind of treatment is done?

The most common injury we see is muscle injuries like a hamstring or quad strain. Treatment for these injuries can vary. It can be a simple as a little rest, some light stretching and ice. There have been cases where we have had to completely shut down a player. Most of the time we are somewhere in the middle and treat with manual therapies like massage and stretching to help increase range of motion. We would then introduce strengthening and fitness exercises so that the player is strong and fit when the time comes to return to play.

We unfortunately will also see a fair share of ankle or knee ligament injuries. The treatment for these also has a wide range and can consist of anything from … rest all the way up to surgical intervention.

We also have to be trained and prepared for the catastrophic injuries that no one wants to see happen. These are the traumatic brain injuries, major fractures, dislocations or cases of sudden collapse. Treatment of these injuries involves the activation of the emergency action plan and will typically involve quickly recognizing the medical emergency you are dealing with, stabilizing/splinting and having the EMTs package and transport the player to the hospital emergency department.

On match day, fans see you on the field if a player takes a knock or cramps up or needs to be bandaged up, but there is a whole medical staff available, right? Can you explain that?

While you usually only see me and my student athletic trainers out on the field, we do have a full medical team behind us. It all starts with pregame where we have a chiropractor and physical therapist working with me to assist the players getting ready for the game. We also have two team physicians working with us.

One is our team orthopedic surgeon, who oversees our ortho injuries, and the other is a fellowship-trained sports medicine physician, who oversees our internal medicine conditions and head injuries.

When on the field with a player, I can often be seen wearing an earpiece and talking into a mic clipped on my shirt. I am talking directly with my other medical staff and updating them on the condition of the player. This communication is key if we ever have to activate the EAP and get the EMTs on the field and ready to transport a player to the hospital.

Weisenberger treating Taylor Mueller after a head injury. (Photo Credit: Ross Almers Photography)

You were part of the USL championship teams in 2010 and 2012, when the Battery traveled all over the U.S. to play different clubs — including MLS teams — with a very aggressive schedule. What was that like and how did you prepare for those extended road trips?

Those championships were awesome, and I’m ready for us to win another one. Preparing for the travel can be tough at times. I typically carry three full size team bags for a single game, so when we go on multiple game trips we have to make room for extra supplies. I think the hardest week we have had travel-wise goes back a couple years and includes U.S. Open Cup games playing USL and MLS teams.

We had an Open Cup game in Charleston, then flew out to Houston to play the Dynamo (MLS) on a Sunday, then flew to Portland for a game on Tuesday, then flew back to Charleston for league game on Saturday, played San Jose (MLS) on Tuesday, played couple of league games at home a few days apart, flew to Salt Lake City to play RSL (MLS) on Tuesday, flew to Pittsburgh to play Friday night, drove through the night to Rochester to play the next afternoon at 4 p.m., and then returned to Charleston.

Back then the schedule was not set up like it is now, meaning we regularly played back-to-back games on consecutive nights in different cities and often took buses on 10 or 12 hour trips.

What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a career in sports medicine as an athletic trainer?

Be prepared for long days, and be ready to work nearly every holiday. I would say, don’t go into athletic training to get rich. While salaries are creeping up, they are still not equal to the value of the AT.

I would find and reach out to an athletic trainer working in the setting you are interested in. All of the athletic trainers I know are always willing to offer a helping hand or advise that will help direct you in the right direction to help you accomplish your goals. If you are looking for an extremely rewarding career that will keep you out on the field after your playing days are behind you, then athletic training might be for you.

Thank you so much to Bobby Weisenberger for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk with us at Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea. On behalf of all of the Battery fans, and players past and present, thank you for your dedication to the Battery!