Meet the Team

Katie Heylmun

Practice Coordinator

Katie holds the fort down and keeps us all in order here at Ames Spine & Sport.  She is the friendly face at the front desk for check in / check out, scheduling, insurance, and answering the phone.  She is a Texas girl who decided to brave Iowa winters. She moved to Ames to study Meteorology at Iowa State. Being the professional dabbler that she is, she went back and got another Bachelor's in Mathematics with minors in Statistics and Horticulture. Katie joined the Ames Spine & Sport team in February of 2020. Katie lives with her husband Jeff, 2 children, and their two fur babies – Louey (a black cat) and Ziggy (a mini/toy Aussie). She enjoys reading, playing soccer, movie nights, and trying different ice cream shops.

Francine White

Practice Coordinator

Francine joined the Ames Spine & Sport Front Desk team in January 2024 after many years as a loyal patient. Her roots are in Dubuque, but left after high school to study Accounting at the University of Miami. After spending a decade in Florida and stints in both Alaska and Oklahoma (with her Active Duty Army husband) she moved back to Iowa and has been in Ames ever since.

Francine and her husband, Kevin, have two adult children, one college student, four cats, two lizards, and one fish. She enjoys traveling, playing the piano, card/board games with her family and summers relaxing at the family lake house.

Sydney Willits

Chiropractic Assistant

Sydney began as an intern in the fall of 2025 and quickly realized she wanted to continue beyond that role. She majored in Kinesiology and minored in Event Management at Iowa State University, where she is also a Track & Field student-athlete.

Specializing in the long jump, Sydney has also competed in the pentathlon and heptathlon during her collegiate career. Following her most recent track season, she plans to continue training with her sights set on the 2028 Olympics. Looking ahead, her long-term goal is to coach Track & Field at the collegiate level.

Sydney grew up primarily in Illinois and has also lived in Iowa, Massachusetts, California, and Minnesota. She is the oldest of five children and has two English Cream Golden Retrievers, Aspen and Luna.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the lake, trying new foods, and listening to music.

Aidan Wimmer

Licensed Massage Therapist

Aidan was born in Utah and grew up in Gilbert, Iowa. He graduated from Gilbert High School in 2023, and graduated from PCI Academy in 2025. 

Playing the drums is one of Aidan’s specialties. He also played soccer throughout his schooling, where he spent a lot of time with personal trainers and learned about his own passion towards the human body and how it works. His father’s side of the family has a very innate sense of energy in the human body, and Aidan is compassionate about converting that sense into his own therapeutic touch.

Aidan’s original plan was to become a physical therapist. He attended Utah State University for one year as a kinesiology major, but soon decided that he wanted a more personable, hands-on approach. Utilizing his passion for sports and exercise, Aidan specializes in a movement based method, with techniques such as sports massage, MET, and cupping to aid in a better recovery. 

During his free time, you can find Aidan going on long walks while listening to music from Radiohead, Chon, and Casiopea. If you have a cat, make sure you have a picture of them on your phone to share!

Additional Certifications and Trainings:

• Sports massage
• Muscle Energy Techniques
• Cupping
• Deep Tissue Massage
• Trigger Point Therapy
• Assisted Stretching