Director of Sport Science at Homecoming Reunion
Ernie Rimer guest speaker at Emeritus Reunion
Ernie Rimer is the director of sport science for the University of Utah Athletics Department, where he has served since 2013. Prior to the U, he was employed by the United States Ski & Snowboard Association from 2007 to 2013 as a strength and conditioning specialist with the US Women’s Alpine Ski Team. Before that, he was a strength and conditioning coach at Northern Arizona University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in exercise science in 2004, and his master’s degree in education in 2006. Dr. Rimer received his PhD in Exercise & Sport Science from the U in 2019, and his dissertation was entitled “A Philosophical Approach to Applied Sport Science with Novel Insights and Applications for Sports Performance and Rehabilitation.”
Sport science is a multidisciplinary field that uses scientific inquiry to improve outcomes in sport. Dr. Rimer treats each step of the scientific method as a skill, and he applies those skills on a daily basis to enhance the health, safety, and performance of our student-athletes. Examples include providing education about the health and performance effects of alcohol, collaborating with coaches and staff about how to minimize injury during athletic activities, and advising coaches with strategies that can increase chances of success on game day. Dr. Rimer can often be found working with athletic trainers to help athletes make safe returns to play after injury, in the weight room with strength and conditioning coaches dedicated to maximizing athlete physical fitness, or on the practice sideline monitoring how far the players run every day.
Dr. Rimer resides in Salt Lake City with his wife Alyssa and their three children Veronika, Layla, and Max.