There’s something about Mary. That was the sentiment from Lake Orion Community Schools’ Athletic Director Bill Reiss at a recent football game when he escorted Mary Lengemann to the center of the field at halftime.
Lengemann, he told the crowd, was leaving her position as Lake Orion High School athletic training and returning to school to seek a degree in nursing.
“I’ve been lucky to hire some great coaches and other staff during my years here,” Reiss said later. “But one of the biggest home runs I hit was with Mary. She embraced the job right from the beginning. She’s been a big sister to many of our athletes, a confidante. She just wove herself right into the fabric of our program.”
Lengemann said she enjoyed her time at the high school – she came on board six years ago after graduating from Central Michigan University – and noted leaving wasn’t easy.
“It was a pretty emotional week,” she said. “I spent a lot of time here, and met a lot of people, so it was pretty hard to say good-bye at the end. It’s a big part of my life coming to a close.”
Lengemann was quick to name the high points in her LOHS career.
“When the baseball team won the state championship (in 2007),” she said. “I was in the dugout. There were two outs in the bottom of the inning. They needed to score to win and they did. It was incredible.”
Another favorite memory, she recalled, was walking to the bus when the football team was on the way to the state championship game in 2008, and discovering a number of Oakland County sheriff’s deputies had arrived to escort them.
But while she’s already left to embark on the next chapter in her life – her last official task was attending the Orion/Oxford football game Aug. 27 – Lengemann made sure her replacement was prepared to take over.
Trainer responsibilities, she explained, include, for example, treatment and rehabilitation of injured athletes, coordination of wellness and nutrition initiatives, and day-to-day management of sports equipment and other supplies needed by various teams.
The biggest challenge for new trainer Shauna Shumaker, Lengemann said, will be the hectic day-to-day schedule.
“You’ve got to be very, very organized in this position,” she said. “You have to know what’s going on, when and where, all the time. It gets pretty crazy.”
Shumaker interned under Lengemann in fall 2009, and, like Lengemann, graduated from CMU.
After she was hired, Shumaker also spent two weeks during the summer learning the ropes as she worked side by side with Lengemann.
“Shauna came highly recommended by Mary,” said Reiss. “She’s already jumped right into the swing of things and I’m very confident she’s going to be a great fit and a great asset to our program.”
And Shumaker’s already going full-tilt.
“Mary did a great job, and set the bar high,” she said. “I came here knowing the athletes, parents, coaches – the whole community – has high standards for their athletic programs. I’m looking forward to working with the community that has so much invested in its sports programs.”