Athletic Training Program Hosts 5th Annual Bowl-A-Thon

The Saint Louis University Athletic Training Society (SLATS) hosted its fifth annual Bowl-A-Thon in early April at Moolah Lanes. The event included two hours of unlimited bowling, as well as a free catered dinner. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Clarence “Bob” Bauman Endowed Scholarship for Athletic Training.

The Bauman Endowed Scholarship is for students entering their second professional year of SLU’s athletic training program. During the Bowl-A-Thon’s early stages, there was only enough funding to award one Bauman Scholarship recipient. In recent years, however, the growing success of the event has allowed the athletic training program to award two recipients of the scholarship each year.

Olivia Robinson, one of the student organizers of this year’s Bowl-A-Thon, said she was proud to be a part of an event that supports the future of her program.

"I think it is very important to be invested in the program and make the most out of what little time we spend in school," Robinson said. "I wanted to make an impact greater than just attending class and clinical rotations. I also think we have something really unique here with the Bowl-A-Thon that is run by our students in order to help our students."

Robinson went on to say that, in the future, the goals for the Bowl-A-Thon will be raised more funds so that, hopefully, the program will be able to award additional scholarships.

This year’s SLATS Bowl-A-Thon raised $1,500 for the scholarship fund. In addition, SLU’s Go Further initiative matched the money raised to bring the grand total for this year’s fundraiser to $3,000. Over its five years of existence, the SLATS Bowl-A-Thon has been responsible for approximately $30,000 in donations to the Bauman Scholarship fund.

Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D., director of the athletic training program, said he thinks this annual fundraiser is a fitting tribute to the man for whom the scholarship is named.

“This successful student-run event to benefit the Bauman Endowed Scholarship is an outstanding legacy to ‘Doc’ Bauman’s dedication to Saint Louis University and the profession of Athletic Training,” Breitbach said.

Check out photos from the 2017 Bowl-A-Thon.

Learn more about the Saint Louis University athletic training program.