One Year Ago… The Damar Effect

It’s been one year since America watched as Damar Hamlin suffered a sudden cardiac arrest as a result of commotio cordis on Monday Night Football. Commotio cordis is quite rare, but sudden cardiac arrest is not. But SCA has never received the amount of attention before January 2, 2023 as it has since that time. As Matthew Mangine Jr’s father has said, their organization and other organizations like them would not have been able to garner the amount of attention. But the whole cause and so many things surrounding Sports Safety became a hot topic in 2023. The question for 2024 is where do we go from here? We’ve identified a major problem, but in 2024 we must attack the problem.

On my drive home for Christmas this year, I listened to “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference.” This was definitely not what I was expecting it to be, but a very good book to listen to while I drove for ~10 hours. As I listened to the book, I wondered what the Tipping Point would be in youth sports and were we witnessing it happening right now? Ironically enough, I think we are seeing it and it’s not because of youth sports at all! One of the concepts in the book is the “actions of few” who make a difference. Athletic Trainers have called for improvements in sports safety for a long time and have often fallen on deaf ears. ATs have saved lives for a long time, but none have been as influential as the sports medicine staffs from the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals as they saved Damar Hamlin’s life on the field that night. Or what about the actions of Rachel Leahy who was instrumental in saving the life of an Army hockey player and was featured on ESPN last winter? These “actions of a few” have made a lot more people aware of the needs for sports safety. It’s unfortunate that it took an event on national television to wake a lot of people up, but the “action of the few” concept is fully in play and now it’s time that we capitalize on it.

The Matthew Mangine Jr “One Shot” Foundation definitely did that in 2023, as they announced a few days ago that they had trained 10,000 people in hands-only CPR in 2023! That is an amazing feat! And I look forward to so much more of this type of training, from them and from other groups, in 2024. It’s time that we have an epidemic of sports safety. And it’s started… in 2024 we must push to make it even better! Through the work of organizations like the Matthew Mangine Jr “One Shot” Foundation, the Zach Martin Memorial Foundation, and the Jordan McNair Foundation, the work of #SaferSidelines by Stephanie Kuzydym, and the everyday work of athletic trainers with their feet on the ground—We will improve sports safety for more kids!

Take One Minute

Take One Minute. 60 seconds. It’s not long. But in that 60 seconds you can watch the story of how a young athlete’s life was saved. 60 seconds is very important in this story, because 60 seconds is longer than the time it took for Claire Crawford to collapse on the volleyball court, the Athletic Trainer and staff to respond, and for CPR to be initiated. Can you believe all of that happened in 56 seconds?

Athletic Trainers: Healthcare Providers or Wannabes?

This post is likely to come off as a rant this evening, but I’m sorry: gotta do it! For those of you who may not know, I am a Certified Athletic Trainer. I am licensed in both Illinois and Texas. And I also hold a Masters Degree in Medical Sciences specializing in Pediatric Sports Medicine. So, just understand where this is coming from…

Athletic Trainers in Secondary Schools

The Certified Athletic Trainer (AT) is specially trained and educated to handle injuries related to sport and recreation. ATs undergo clinical and didactic tracks in the pursuit of a bachelor’s or master’s degree that allows one to sit for the certification exam through the Board of Certification. For over 60 years, ATs have provided health services to thousands of athlete-patients but over the course of time some of these professionals have chosen to pursue employment outside of what is referred to as the “traditional setting.” While not inherently wrong, the author believes that the student-athletes of thousands of high schools are missing out on a valuable resource. Additionally, this exodus has created a separation amongst the profession that could ultimately destroy the profession. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association is made up of about 35,000 members and it is time that all 35,000 members become united with a goal to provide every athlete with the athletic healthcare he or she so deserves¹.

NATA 2015– What’s Your Reason

This week the NATA’s national convention will be in St. Louis. I will head there on Tuesday and this will be my third time attending the national convention, second time in St. Louis. That’s not bad considering this is my 5th year in the profession. 3 of 5 isn’t terrible! But, why do people attend convention?

Be Prepared

Be Prepared– A motto that the Boy Scouts introduced. And a concept that Athletic Trainers practice.

Be Prepared. For what? ANYTHING. Athletic Trainers are prepared for just about anything. We take the time to prepare prior to a game or practice so that you can perform fully. We prepare for emergencies. We prepare for weather.

Inspiration to be an Athletic Trainer

I have a football coach who tells me all the time “I don’t know why anybody would want to be a (athletic) trainer. Y’all are always getting abused and working a ton for little pay!” Sometimes I think about that. Why do we do it? Why do we put up with coaches and parents always harassing us?

15 Reasons to Hire an Athletic Trainer

Sticking with the seemingly regular trend as we roll into 2015, I’m going to give you 15 reasons your school should hire an Athletic Trainer in the New Year…

Athletic Trainer’s Thanksgiving

I have many things to be thankful on this Thanksgiving. Way too many to truly name, but I’m going to certainly give it a shot!

• I’d be in trouble if I didn’t mention them first: my parents and my family. The support over the last few years while I have worked to build my career has been amazing. 
• The administration at Bishop Lynch High School for believing in me and giving me the ability to make the move to Texas to become their new Head Athletic Trainer this summer. The staff, parents, and kids for welcoming me into the Bishop Lynch community.
• My mentors over the years. The advice and encouragement has made me into the Athletic Trainer that I am today. They are there by my side when I need them the most!
• The #ATtalk and #AT4ALL Twitter family. We are creating change in sports safety. And we will not give up until we complete our mission!
• My wonderful assistant, Sarah, and team physician, Dr. Moore. They have made our first fall season as a staff a success! The three of us work together so well in order to achieve athlete safety for our Friar athletes.

Every Athlete Deserves an Athletic Trainer.

What Does #AT4ALL Mean?

Simple question, but is there is a simple answer? Occasionally I get asked this question. What does #AT4ALL mean? To so many people, it can mean so many different things. I recently asked this question on Twitter and as of this writing, I only had one reply. And her reply was different than mine. Her reply was on a more global picture than my definition.