Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
During her 36 years of service to the Linfield Athletics department, Tara Lepp was a timeless wonder.
She treated muscle pulls, broken bones and bruised psyches. But Lepp was more than simply a certified athletic trainer. The 2021 Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee became known as a pioneer and advocate in the field of sports medicine, beginning in 1982 when she was hired as Linfield’s first full-time certified athletic trainer and began the process of building a full-fledged athletic training education program at the college.
Sports medicine was an emerging field in the early 1980s and athletic trainers became a necessity within modern college athletic departments. Not surprisingly, Lepp’s career at Linfield began in modest surroundings and using limited resources. Her first treatment space was a revamped janitor’s closet. A broken-down ice machine and a malfunctioning whirlpool tub were the tools she was asked to work with. A few rolls of tape were provided to brace ankles and wrists.
Lepp’s gentle yet persistent urgings enabled Linfield’s infrastructure, and later its staffing levels, to eventually improve. She helped design the present-day treatment facility, which opened in 1989.
Using conservative estimates, Lepp provided care and managed medical information for more than 400 athletes a year, impacting approximately 12,400 athletes during the course of her ground-breaking career.
Her Hall of Fame honor joins other professional recognitions that include the Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, presented by the National Association of Athletic Trainers.
In a Linfield career that spanned four decades, Lepp experienced just about every imaginable situation in small-college athletics.
“The best memories came from the times when we worked really hard to get the athletes back on the field and they ended up scoring a touchdown, making a bucket, or hitting a home run,” Lepp said. “A lot of times, we’d be on the sidelines patting each other on the back when we saw one of our wounded warriors return to the field, court, or pool and achieve success. (Trainers) live for seeing someone get healthy and get back out there.”
In 2005, Lepp began spending her summers – and an occasional January Term – in Kenya leading medical teams as a volunteer for Open Arms International. In 2018, she moved to Kenya fulltime, returning to McMinnville only briefly each summer.
In Kenya, Lepp says “we try to find the poorest of the poor, those who wouldn’t be able to receive medical care if we didn’t provide it for them. There might be doctors or hospitals in their village but many of the people are too poor to afford care.”
At Linfield, she was the guiding force behind building Linfield’s athletic training program into one of only three accredited programs in Oregon. Under Lepp’s leadership, the number of staff members devoted to teaching athletic training students and treating student-athletes increased from one to 4½, with most dividing their time between service and education.
“Linfield is amazing. I’ve always been very impressed with what Linfield has been able to achieve. It’s been great to be around the program because the people here are dedicated and committed. That makes it a great place to work.”
As a long-term volunteer missionary in Africa, she pays her own travel and living expenses, supplemented by support from sponsors.
Athletic training says Lepp. “is a service profession. And my work in Africa is all about service.”
As the years ticked by, Lepp found it challenging to continually summon the stamina required to maintain an athletic trainer’s seven-day-a-week schedule.
“The job takes a physical and emotional toll. You’re dealing with people who become upset when they get injured because they are so driven to achieve their goals.”
Lepp’s longevity is a testament to her will. “People in the medical profession and the ministry have a high burnout rate. And what am I doing?
“Both,” she admitted with a laugh. “Sometimes 1982 seems like yesterday and other days it feels like a million years ago.”
