When most people hear the word cheetah, the first thing they might think of is a speedy feline. But for students at Edina High School, the definition is different. Steve Tschida (pronounced cheetah), the athletic trainer at EHS, waits in his office near the first-floor locker rooms ready to pounce on any injury or ailment with cat-like speed.
Referred to simply as “Tschida” by students, coaches, and parents, the trainer has been helping injured Edina student athletes stay healthy and recover from injuries for 18 years. Stop by his office and you’ll find him taping a bad ankle or strapping ice over an athlete’s bruise. The room is filled with EHS sports posters, training equipment, and a lot of students. Tschida figures he treats about 40 students per day.
Sometimes, the injuries are more serious. Senior football player Cavonte Johnson tore his ACL in last season’s second game. Almost immediately after the injury, Tschida “came over and gave me a long talk,” Johnson recalled. “He told me I would come back stronger.” As Johnson recovers, Tschida “pushes me to do my physical therapy and puts up with my whining,” he added with a laugh.
In his spare time, Tschida even prepares multi-flavored concoctions of Gatorade to help Edina athletes plow through Eden Prairie, making opponents wonder why they’re from Wayzata or wish they weren’t from Minnetonka – and not just because no one knows what a Skipper is.
Tschida might be a medical expert, but he views his job as being mostly about “customer service.” When students go to see a doctor about an injury, 99% of the time the prescription will be to ice, rest, and take some Advil to bring down the swelling. Tschida adds more of a personal touch. “I keep in mind how I would want to be treated,” he explained. “If I was hurt I would want a plan.” And a plan of action is exactly what you will get.
“He wants what’s best for the kids but also understands how important it is to get back in the game as quickly as possible,” said girls varsity basketball coach Matt Nilsen. “When it comes to a player’s injury or health, what Steve says goes.”
Tschida gets some nice perks with his job, including front row seats to any Hornet sporting event. He also gets to travel with the teams to state tournaments. But what he likes most about the job are the relationships he develops with student athletes. “I would have quit a long time ago otherwise,” he laughed. “It’s kind of like I have 500 kids!”
Speaking of kids, Tschida has two youngsters his own, who are as you would have guessed it, total studs. Kylie, 11, is a soccer and basketball player, and hopes to run track this spring. Her brother, Justin, 14, golfs and also plays basketball.
Although he will always remember his first state championship experience in 1997 with the boys hockey team as one of his best moments as a Hornet, his favorite memories “come not so much from big games, but from great plays and great effort by players in the regular season.”
Teachers sometimes wonder when students are excused from class to visit Tschida; some even claim that he doesn’t exist. “I honestly had no idea who he was until this year,” said English teacher Mrs.Elizabeth Barniskis. But now you know that, at least at EHS, a Tschida is something more than just another cat.
