My “Freshmen Year” As a Friar

July 29, 2014 I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime and I snatched it up very quickly. In fact, I was asked if we were getting married or something— that’s how quickly I said yes! Very quickly, my world changed because I went from working in a PT clinic in my hometown providing ~12 hours of outreach Athletic Training Services to the local high school to moving to Dallas, TX where I would spend closer to 80 hours per week providing Athletic Training Services to a school. That school is Bishop Lynch. July 29^th I accepted the job and quickly began to pack and become very excited. By the end of the week, I had resigned from my previous job, packed up my truck, and drove 10 hours to Dallas. Monday morning I was on campus and the rest they say is history.

Hello There From Texas

Hello there from Texas! I know I haven’t written for a little while, but let me update you on where I’m at now and what is new for me. July 29^th I received a phone call that would change my life. I accepted a new position at the Head Athletic Trainer for Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, TX. In the matter of 6 days, I accepted a new job, resigned from my previous position, moved from Waterloo, IL to Dallas, TX and started my new job.

Cheerleading Injuries

Cheerleading injuries are on the rise. For this reason, it is important that administrators, parents, coaches, and medical personnel recognize that cheerleaders must received appropriate medical attention just like any other athlete.

Shields and Smith noted that from 1990-2003 cheerleading saw an increase in participation from 3.04 million to 3.58 million while also seeing a 110% increase in injuries. Cheerleaders suffer many different injuries including sprains and strains, but can also suffer broken bones and even more serious injuries. Approximately 65% of catastrophic injuries in female high school athletics have been attributed to cheerleading. Why is that?

Passion and Plan

Last month, on a recommendation from my friend Kristi Messina, I ordered Jon Acuff’s book Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job. Unfortunately it has taken me longer to read this book than I originally thought. When I first started it, I was reading 20-30 pages at a time. But with everything else going on too, that dropped off. But tonight I picked the book up again and read a topic that I want to talk about right away..

#ATTalk Tweet Chat

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 10,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 17 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

The Stigma of the Concussion

We have talked about before the stigma of a concussion and “being weak” or whatever. For a long time, those in athletics did not understand a concussion and so it was just pushed off. Over the last several years, the medical community has continued to learn more and more about traumatic brain injuries and we’ve brought that into the athletic community as well.

Unfortunately I have seen some things that bother me as we continue to better educate ourselves and those around us. The researchers dealing with concussions, and the aftermath, on a daily basis are providing great insight but they also recognize we are nowhere near ready to have “all the answers.” Meanwhile, those who are less educated are being more vocal and that is discouraging. Two examples of that would be the Kansas City Chiefs player who shot his girlfriend and then himself a few weeks ago and most recently the former baseball player who recently committed suicide. Many have been quick to theorize that concussions were the cause of these suicides.

I have great concern what these inferences may do to sports and to our continued research of concussions.

“Time Out” for Emergencies

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) is calling for a “time out” for emergencies as the fall sports seasons prepare to kick off. The NATA is recommending a meeting be held prior to athletic participation by healthcare providers to ensure proper safety procedures are in place and so the providers are coordinated for any emergencies that may occur.
Read the rest of the article at the link below…

http://www.bocatc.org/blog/uncategorized/time-out-for-emergencies/

Quote of the Week: Athletic Training

This week’s Quote of the Week is athletic training related. In case you are unaware, March is National Athletic Training Month. Each weekly quote will be related to athletic training this month…

“Every Athlete Deserves an Athletic Trainer”—Mike Hopper, ATC

 

Looking Ahead to March

Read my newest blog post at the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers’ website. Here is a little preview…

As the calendar turns, it’s time to prepare and start thinking about what lies ahead. For Athletic Trainers, March is comingquickly and March equals National Athletic Training Month. This year’s theme is “Athletic Trainers Save Lives.” It is important for us to promote the profession and our knowledge and skill on a daily and weekly basis, but the month of March provides us the opportunity to really reach out to our communities both in society and the medical communities around us.

Go here to read the rest! BOC Blog