Mitch Wasik is neither a coach nor a doctor.

But when it comes to getting athletes to perform on their highest mental, emotional and physical level, there really isn’t anybody else quite like him.

Wasik is now entering his 11th year as SF State’s head athletic trainer and 20th year overall in the profession.

His role is much more than just wrapping tape over a player’s ankle. He is a teacher and a motivator who demands the best of the athletes’ well-being.

“My role is to get them to perform at their peak,” Wasik said. “I like the excitement that revolves around the competition and seeing certain people achieve goals and excellence that they aspire too.”

Wasik’s path into athletic training began two decades ago while attending Shasta College. A friend suggested that it would be a good fit for him since he was already taking science courses in anatomy and physiology.

“It was the perfect mettle of athletics and sports, and the science behind it all,” he said. “I figured this is what I wanted to do, so I changed my career path.”

With an abundance in equipment such as the balancing disc, ultrasound machines and the exercise ball, which are primarily used for stretching the back, many athletes utilize the facility on a daily basis to get them back at full strength.

With the excellent care that Wasik and his staff provide, it’s no wonder why he has garnered the respect of the Gator sports family.

Danny Graybill, a pitcher for the baseball team who has been dealing with tendonitis on his left shoulder for the past few weeks, came in to get checked out by Wasik’s well-informed staff.

“[Mitch] is knowledgeable and fair,” he said. “He’s a good guy to be around and gives you good advice.”
Cross country runner Tanya Ferreira echoed the same sentiment.

“He showed me a lot of ways to prevent my shins from getting worse and he checks up regularly on my progress,” she said. “He is a great guy who takes care of you.”

Wasik is responsible for overseeing all of the business that revolves around injuries, nutritional aspects, and rehabilitation for the 12 athletic programs at SF State.

“Everything that we do in here is to get the body to a position state where it can heal optimally,” Wasik said. “And let the body do its thing.”

Wasik also is a mentor to the four graduate assistants, who take care of the workload when he is out of town or attending meetings.

“I really have learned a lot from him,” said Bryce Schussel, a graduate assistant. “[I learned] the way to run an athletic training facility and the way to take care of over 250 athletes.”

Wasik is a family man first. He is married to Professor Leamor Kahanov, a kinesiology professor at San Jose State. The couple has two children, son Yonah, 8, and daughter Noam, 5, and resides at the family’s El Granada home.

“Mitch is a very thoughtful thorough individual both at work and home,” said Kahanov “He is quite personable and that works for him well as an athletic trainer and family man. He has a passion for his profession and has worked hard to create a balance between work and home.”

Upon graduating, Wasik took a position as a trainer at a Tucson High School for a few years before going back to the Bay Area, taking on the same position at Ohlone College.

After a brief stint with the San Jose Grizzlies, a professional indoor soccer team, he landed a job as the assistant athletic trainer at SF State in 1995. Ironically, at the time it was his wife Leamor, who was the Head Athletic Trainer that year at SF State.

“It was great for me because it gave me a chance to work with her,” he said.

During Wasik’s 11-year span as the head of the athletic training department, no moment is as memorable as SF State winning the Division II National Championship in wrestling in 1997.

“Anytime our teams or individuals have certain successes that they have achieved, that too me is why I’m here,” he said. “This is a highly competitive environment and when you succeed in that level of competition, it’s fulfilling for me to see somebody achieve that.”

After experiencing a good portion of his career at SF State, Wasik has no immediate plans on going back to the pro level.

Wasik is thrilled to be where he is at today. “I can’t imagine doing anything else, and being anywhere else,” he said. “I love what I do.”