Danny Rice, a senior studying health and exercise science at Colorado State University, is working the summer as an intern at both the Colorado Center of Orthopaedic Excellence and Cheyenne Mountain High School in his hometown of Colorado Springs.
Growing up in Colorado Springs, Rice was surrounded by sports. Being raised in a sports family, he was exposed to the industry of health and exercise, and its multiple branches in medical and sports professions.
“I saw great examples of health, fitness, medicine, and exercise from an early age. Even though I did not know what I wanted to do post-college, I knew that this major could lead me to opportunities in my interest,” Rice said.
Rice was attracted to CSU, wanting to live close to home after high school. He also was attracted to the Fort Collins area. “It was the perfect place to live for the next four years.”
“I planned on studying something that put me in a sports-related field and the health and exercise science major was perfect for that,” he said.
Working as a strength and conditioning coach and a trainer, Rice is now exercising his skills learned at CSU in the field.
Fitness in the field
Rice’s work is split between strength and conditioning coaching at Cheyenne Mountain High School and the CCOE South Clinic. Much of his work at each location is based around coaching individuals on exercise and conditioning, though each location’s specific job is unique.
At Cheyenne Mountain, Rice works with student athletes across the school, helping with summer exercise programs that are assigned to the athletes.
“Three days a week, I do strength and conditioning coaching at the high school. I assist individuals from various teams with exercises provided on their summer programs. I have also individually written programs for some of the younger athletes,” he said.
Beyond working with high schoolers, Rice’s work at the CCOE South Clinic places a larger focus on rehabilitation, alongside conditioning.
“Two days a week, I do sports performance training at the CCOE South Clinic. I assist clients with exercises found in their programs. These programs can be made for patients who simply want to exercise, patients who are recovering from surgery, and patients with chronic injuries,” Rice said.
Rice’s ability to assist others in their fitness journey came from the lessons he learned studying health and exercise science at CSU. Each course he took is supplemental to the work he does with clients as he applies concepts from the classroom to his internship.
“Classes like kinesiology gave me the knowledge of muscles and their movements, which are necessary for coaching individuals on exercises,” Rice said. “Exercise physiology gave me the knowledge of how the body functions during exercise, allowing me to explain to athletes what happens during prolonged aerobic activity, why someone fatigues quicker, among other things.
Rice’s favorite part of the internship is the people he works with, and he strongly values the connections that he makes through fitness.
“The fitness community is tight-knit, and those same tight-knit values are found at the clinic and high school,” he said. “Building relationships with the people I coach has allowed me to not only make new friends, but to also witness growth in individuals who are putting in the effort to become their best selves.”
The Department of Health and Exercise Science is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
