Jeff Schade
Katelynn Propes (R) with Parker & Ella Bane
Jenna Parks (R) with HR Officer Stephanie Kennedy
Brooke Bachotld (R) with PTA Sarah Janssen
During the first three years of the Champion Fitness Physical Therapy/Jill Bane Memorial Scholarship, no more than 16 applications had come in any one year. Not so in 2013! Twenty-nine seniors from all over central and southeastern Illinois vied for the honor of achieving one of these $1000 scholarships. As owner Jeff Schade commented once the process was completed and the winners chosen, “I think Jill would be proud of each one of them.”
Seniors had to have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, their class rank and ACT score submitted, and a letter of recommendation from a non-family member in support of their nomination. In addition, porbably the most weight is given to the student’s essay about this prompt – “How have my high school experiences prepared me to enter the physical therapy/athletic training field?” Essays were judged on focus, presentation, grammar, and usage. “We really take a long look at the essays,” Schade said. “It’s not always the student with the best grades or the highest ACT that wins. It’s usuall the one who shows the type of emotion necessary to become a gifted PT or ATC down the road.”
The winners of the 2013 Champion Fitness Physical Therapy/Jill Bane Memorial Scholarships are:
1) Brooke Bachtold – Prairie Central High School
2) Jenna Parks – St. Joseph-Ogden High School
3) Katelynn Propes – Pontiac High School
Champion Fitness Physical Therapy announced that its new clinic in St. Joseph, IL is now accepting patients. Located at 109 N. Main St. (Main Street Station) in downtown St. Joseph, the clinic will be under the watchful eyes of PT Elizabeth Bischoff, assisted by PTA Paige Huntington.
Champion Owner and Physical Therapist Jeffery C. Schade is excited about the opportunity to provide services to the St. Joseph-Ogden and surrounding areas. “We are thrilled with the chance to have this clinic in St. Joseph,” Schade said. “This community is exactly the type we look for when we search for areas to possibly expand. The city officials and the townspeople have been exceptionally warm to our arrival, and we look forward to serving the clientele in the area. Our physical therapist for this clinic, Elizabeth Bischoff, is one of the top therapists in our company, so that should make things easy as well,” Schade noted.
Among the services offered by the clinic include therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, therapeutic modalities, and recovery exercise programs. Regardless of the situation, whether it be an accident occurring at home, an athletic injury, an industrial rehabilitation case, or just a case of Mother Nature catching up to an individual, Champion Fitness Physical Therapy gives the folks in the St. Joseph-Ogden and surrounding areas an opportunity to receive prompt, convenient, and comforting care. “We would like to be your choice for physical therapy for the rest of your life,” Schade concluded.
The clinic is currently accepting patients by appointment (877-348-8500).
Battle up front
Champion Fitness Team members from the Pontiac squad (L-R)–Owner, PT-ATC Jeff Schade, ATC Luke Thompson, ATC Brittany Armstrong, Coach Mick Peterson (G&D), PT-ATC Michael Bennington, PT-ATC Eric Saxton
In the “Battle of the I’s” held last Saturday at Williamson Field in Pontiac, the Indians from Pontiac defeated the Irish of Seneca 12-6 in a very competitive, hard-fought, physical football contest. The game featured former members of the Seneca Irish who graduated between 1990-2001, while the range of the Pontiac squad was from the early 1980s up to 2006. Proceeds from the day were donated to local food pantries in both towns.
After a scoreless first half, the Indians broke on top on a 25 yard TD pass from QB Tommy Green to WR Travis Miller. Green escaped pressure and found Miller, who made an acrobatic catch in the back part of the end zone. The two teamed up again on a 10-yard Fade pattern for their second TD of the game. Miller once made an outstanding catch. The Irish scored late when QB Mike Davis found a wide-open Chad Caputo on a 20 yard strike for the lone Seneca touchdown.
Organizers and players alike were thrilled with the day’s events. “My guys were disappointed in the loss, but can’t stop talking about how much fun this was. The event / atmosphere that we created was everything my guys were hoping for and the common talk (afterwards) was why have we not been doing this for the past 10-15 years,” Max Sulzberger, Seneca’s organizer remarked.
Pontiac’s Jeff Schade agreed wholeheartedly. “The One More Game idea that we started six years ago…that’s been fun! But this…especially, for a guy like me who never experienced anything like it in high school…this was heaven!” he said. Players on both sides agreed, even to the point of discussing a possible rematch down the road. “In Seneca next time,” Sulzberger smiled.
The overall big winners of the day were the local food pantries of both Seneca and Pontiac who each will receive over $225 from donations collected at the game.
To watch video highlights of the game, press!
Scoreboard tells the final story…but not the real winners!
The remnants of Hurricane Isaac hit central Illinois on September 1. But that didn’t stop the One More Game VI participants from having perhaps the most satisfying game in the history of the event…satisfying in that the day gave the players a chance to experience football through a new light…rain. And while it probably has always been the dream of kids to go play in the mud, these 26 players did so with a purpose…learning the game along the way, picking up new techniques, playing different positions on the field, and, most importantly, developing a camaraderie that can’t be found in other sports.
They came from all over…some faces familiar…some from out of state…some who hadn’t played before….others who hadn’t played in this game in awhile….and when the final whistle blew, the White team, behind two touchdown passes from all-time quarterback Robby Shoenhoft to Joel Schmillen, defeated the Orange squad, who got their TD on a run by Billy Burns, 14-8. Fumbles aplenty, sliding and slipping on almost every play, and wiping of mud from the hands failed to prevent these fun-loving guys from having a day which they can brag about for months to come….until next year when One More Game VII kicks off.
See for yourself what we are talking about.
Champion Fitness Physical Therapy has announced that Danielle Edens has been named as the new Compliance and Ethics Officer for the company. Eden’s duties will be to design, develop and lead the company-wide compliance and standards of conduct programs. She will also monitor and report results of the compliance/ethics efforts of the company and provide guidance for the Corporate team on matters relating to compliance. Champion Fitness Physical Therapy currently has seventeen clinics in central and southeastern Illinois.
Champion Fitness Physical Therapy owner Jeff Schade is delighted to have Ms. Edens as a member of his Corporate team. “Danielle’s experience with our company was crucial in making this decision,” Schade said. “Regardless of the job she has held, she has always been the type of person who has exceeded the expectations of her co-workers. She is extremely detail-oriented, but she is also a ‘people-person,’ both of which will be critical in this new position.”
With almost thirteen years of experience with Champion Fitness Physical Therapy, Edens has served in several capacities, including Wellness Manager, Administrative Assistant, Facility Management, Marketing Officer, a two-time member of the President’s Council, and a Certified Athletic Trainer. Originally from Carlyle, IL, she graduated from Eureka College in 1999 with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Athletic Training. She and her husband Kevin live in Flanagan, IL and are parents of Brennan, Kora, and Aubry.
From the Desk of Jeff Schade:
Champion Fitness Physical Therapy-Jill Bane Memorial Scholarship
Jill Bane was well known for serving the Pontiac community as an Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist Assistant at Champion Fitness Physical Therapy. Highly regarded by the athletes, parents, and patients she worked with, Jill built her reputation by putting patients first. Jill truly loved her career, and she held close to her heart the family of co-workers and friends that she made in her eleven years at Champion Fitness Physical Therapy. Jill worked with numerous students and served as a mentor and inspiration to new employees and students interested in the athletic training and physical therapy fields. In the spirit of her commitment to advancing patient care, Champion Fitness Physical Therapy is offering the Jill Bane Memorial Scholarship.
This scholarship is available to any senior who plans to pursue a career in either physical therapy or athletic training. Applicants must reside within a thirty-mile radius of any of the fifteen Champion Fitness Physical Therapy clinics in central Illinois and have maintained a 3.0 GPA. One letter of character reference from a non-family member is required, along with a 1-2 page essay discussing the following prompt-“How have my high school experiences prepared me to enter the physical therapy/athletic training field?” Deadline for all materials is April 16. Winners will be announced by May 1.
Applicants should submit all materials (Letter & Essay) to:
Mick Peterson (e-mail: mpeterson@champfit.com)
Champion Fitness Physical Therapy
924 W Custer Ave.
Pontiac, IL 61764
Once in awhile, a person comes into our lives who, for lack of a better term, “touches” everybody she meets along the way. Jill Lambert Bane was one of those unique individuals.
Over ten years ago, when Champion Fitness Physical Therapy was in its early stages, I hired Jill as an Athletic Trainer. She was fresh out of college, and I remembered her from her softball days in high school. She was young, vibrant, full of energy, and she seemed to be able to “connect” with the patients she was seeing. Little did I know at the time the impact she would have.
Jill knew people by name, she knew their families, and she knew just exactly the right way to make a therapy session go right, simply by letting her patients co-exist. Making those patients feel important day after day, treatment after treatment, was probably her biggest asset as a therapist.
She especially bonded with athletes, primarily with the football players. They may have looked at her as a good-looking woman who was taking care of them; she, however, was more like their “Big Sister,” forever watching out for their benefit and working with them feverishly to get them back onto the playing field as quickly as possible.
Jill was always one to speak her mind, and she wasn’t afraid to butt heads if the situation called for it. It happened with me, it happened with coaches, and it happened with the athletes themselves. In her mind, she had a plan of care that needed to be followed because the interest and well-being of her patient came first always….something we at Champion profess all of the time.
I remember the hope in her heart when she told me she was going back to school to become a Physical Therapist Assistant and the proud smile she wore when she achieved that goal. I can still envision the twinkle in her eyes and the excitement in her voice when she began to bring up Parker’s name. I also recall the absolute joy she had when she told us about Baby Ella. And so did the others here at Champion, because Jill was one who bonded with everybody…patient, employer, and co-workers. She made everybody else in the room better by being the example to follow, not the exception to the rule.
When we learned Jill was sick, we all said the same things—”It’s not fair!” “It’s not right!” “It can’t be!” “She’s too young!” In the meantime, she was faced with the task of battling a deadly disease the only way she knew how—head on. Cancer doesn’t play by the rules, but even cancer knew that Jill Lambert Bane was one of the toughest fighters it’s ever had to tangle with. Jill fought with every ounce of her spirit and her soul and her mind until the end…things that cancer could never take away from her.
We’ve lost Jill…and all of us at Champion…and all of the patients she touched…all of her co-workers she touched….and all of the communities she touched….are still very sad. We’re sad because we can’t touch her anymore. However, her spirit, her mind, and her soul will continue to touch us all in one way or another, whether it be through Parker…or Ella…or her steadfastly loyal family.
I’m just glad she worked for us because Jill Lambert Bane is a true Champion.
August 5
When the weather gets hot in the summer, like it’s supposed to this weekend, we have to watch out that we don’t do too much. Here is a couple of audio blogs in which PT and ATC Jeff Schade gives some advice as to how to handle that situation. Pay close attention to what he has to say.
Heat Exhaustion 1
Heat Exhaustion 2
