Jonathan Litscher: An Athlete Serving Athletes

Originally published by Cardinal & Cream

Early mornings. Late nights. No days off. Welcome to the world of sports.

This is a world that Jonathan Litscher, junior cross country runner and exercise science major, knows all too well. 

“I grew up playing sports,” Litscher said. “If it’s a sport, I have played it or watched someone play it, and I enjoyed it. I always knew I wanted to be around sports.”

Jonathan started running cross country in the fourth grade and hasn’t really stopped since. He had a standout senior season at Augustine School here in Jackson, Tenn., and was recruited to run for Union’s men’s cross country team.

Litscher’s college career has had a lot of ups and downs, battling everything from injuries to the busyness of college life throughout these past three seasons at Union. However, this year, the Union men’s cross country team had its best season in program history.

“I was able to get back to a place where I felt good about how I was running,” Litscher said.

To many on the outside, running for fun or for competition seems like a miserable thing to do. It’s exhausting, painful and will likely make you throw up four or five miles in (may or may not be speaking from experience). Being a runner, especially at the Division II level, requires a certain level of mental fortitude and a true passion for the sport.

“Cross country is unique in that it’s so scientific,” Litscher said. “I might not be as naturally fast as someone ahead of me, but if I work harder than them, there’s a good chance that I’ll end up beating them in races. You get out what you put in.”

This mindset Litscher has about cross country has found its way into another area of his life: athletic training.

“Sports are a gift from the Lord that I don’t take for granted at all. It’s been such a consistent thing in my life,” Litscher said. “My goal is to be around sports for the rest of my life.” 

When Litscher initially started college, he came in as an athletic training major. Union’s already small athletic training program has since dissolved, but Litscher’s dedication did not. He adapted, changed his major to exercise science and intentionally sought out an internship with Union Athletics as an assistant athletic trainer.

“I get to kind of come in with a unique perspective,” Litscher said. “I know firsthand what it feels like to be a student athlete and all the challenges that kind of entails.”

Litscher has always had a knack for problem solving and a love for fixing things, which translates well into athletic training. He also uses his experiences as a cross country runner to relate to other student athletes who are navigating the complexities of injuries and rehab.

Unassuming on the outside, nestled deep in the H hallway of the PAC, the training room is the working ground of Jonathan Litscher and Union’s head athletic trainer, Dr. Jonathan Allen. The room is bigger than it looks, filled with all sorts of colorful resistance bands, yoga balls and other equipment that I definitely don’t know the technical terms for. To the Union Athletics community, it’s a haven.

“You kind of get to curate this place of trust. It’s an extra place that student athletes get to be,” Litscher said. “It’s not practice. It’s not the locker room. It’s not class. But it’s kind of this in-between place where people are dropping in and out, and because of that, you get a lot of fun conversations and fun memories and stuff like that.”

Litscher is dedicated to keeping this room a haven — a space where student athletes can receive the support they need, whatever that may look like.

“I know firsthand as a student athlete the blessings that those things are to students when they’re done well, and on the other hand, what it feels like when that’s not done well,” Litscher said. “That really motivates me to just make sure I’m giving 110% in those environments.”

When Litscher’s not at cross country practice or in the training room, he can be found giving 110% in the Fred Delay Gymnasium on game days. Working alongside his boss, Allen, he is filling up a case full of those blue sports water bottles (you know the ones) and tending to the volleyball and basketball athletes.

“I haven’t ever had to tell him what to do or when to do it or how to do the right thing,” Allen said. “This is just him on his own, wanting the network and learning the skill sets.”

I don’t know of many people who would go to practice at 5:30 in the morning, sit through a full day of classes and still take the time to fill up other athletes’ water bottles without ever being asked to do it. Filling up water bottles seems like a menial task, but perhaps it’s a glimpse at what it truly means to be a servant-hearted leader.

It reminds me, quite honestly, of the passage in the book of John where Christ washes the feet of his disciples. This act is meant to be a representation of humbling oneself and caring for others. It is the blueprint of Christlike service, which is something that isn’t always common in this day and age, but I was fortunate enough to see an example of it on the sidelines of a volleyball game.

Jonathan Litscher is someone who will probably never hear the words “thank you” as much as he should, but he doesn’t really seem to mind. To him, the work is its own reward.

“If me doing my 110% makes the team 1% better, maybe that’s one point on the basketball court or one point on the volleyball court,” Litscher said. “The sense of just making a difference definitely keeps you going on those long days.”

To make a difference, Litscher just wants to be present with others.

“You really get to exist through the highs and the lows with people,” Litscher said. “And so, you get to exist in the highs of seeing them play, then you get to exist in the low of those rehab days in their training room.”

The next step in Litscher’s athletic training career is grad school. Then, after that, he’s aiming for the big leagues. He has his ambitions set on the highly competitive job of being a trainer for a professional sports team, like his favorite: the Green Bay Packers.

“It definitely gets overwhelming,” Litscher said. “But there’s such a drive whenever I know that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be.”