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?

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.

Athletic Trainers Aren’t Just First Responders

So many times over the last few weeks I’ve posted emergency and urgent reasons why high schools and youth teams needed Certified Athletic Trainers. But what must be understood is that Athletic Trainers do much more than just game coverage. Athletic Trainers are responsible for the evaluation of injuries, but also prevention of injuries. I’ve said it before and I truly mean it: I would rather spend 10 hours doing preventative work to prevent injury than 1 hour of rehabilitation after an injury. Prevention of injury does not simply mean taping ankles and wrists. But evaluating movement and making changes to movement patterns. Creating strength and conditioning programs which could very well prevent an ACL rupture. Evaluating the field surface, ensuring water and Gatorade are available during practices and working with the coaches in extreme heat to prevent heat illness. There are so many things that Athletic Trainers do to PREVENT injuries instead of having to deal with the aftermath later… #AT4ALL #NATM2014

Cheerleading Associations Are Leaders in Sports Medicine

The Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association requires medical staff to be onsite for competitions. The National Cheer Association requires medical staff onsite for camps and clinics. But the research has shown cheerleading injuries are relatively low compared to other sports. Why is it these groups value proper medical staffing but other athletic associations do not? #AT4ALL#SportsSafety

What Drives Us As Athletic Trainers

This type of story right here is the motivation for what I do each day. Beth Mallon‘s life may have been drastically changed if the coach would have been responsible for “checking on” Tommy. But the team had a Certified Athletic Trainer. She likely saved Tommy’s life that day. And I understand what she’s saying in the video about realizing that she was holding his head (and his life) in her hands. Unfortunately I’ve been there in similar situations. Each day we go to work not to save a life, but to help our patients/athletes perform to the best of their ability. Sometimes our work requires we perform life-saving actions. All we can do is prepare ourselves emotionally, psychologically, and mentally for those situations. That is why it is so important that every school employ a Certified Athletic Trainer. #AT4ALL Every Athlete Deserves an Athletic Trainer.

 

Who is Protecting Your Son or Daughter?

Athletic Trainers are skilled healthcare providers who are often able to determine severity of injury. They can determine the need for emergent or urgent care or if an injury can wait. Parents should be asking if their son or daughter’s school has a Certified Athletic Trainer. If not, the question should be: Why not? #AT4ALL

Heart Issues Major Concern

DYK more athletes died last year due to heart issues than brain injuries? The amount of research, media, and conferences related to concussions would make you think otherwise. We must recognize the BIG PICTURE of youth sports injuries.