Photo courtesy of Dublin City Schools
For the first time ever, Dublin City Schools has athletic trainers for its middle school students.
Athletic trainers have always had a presence at Dublin’s high schools, but now, each middle school – Davis, Grizzell, Karrer and Sells – has a full-time trainer with help from the district’s health care partner, OhioHealth Sports Medicine. The agreement was finalized in 2016.
“It’s a really nice partnership, especially since our athletic landscape is a little different than it used to be with kids participating in sports year-round,” says Athletic Director and Sells head football coach Jay Schwanke. “You see more injuries now than you used to. A basketball player might also play soccer, and she’ll blow out her knee from overuse.”
Concussions are especially a hot-button topic in the world of sports, with 47 percent of all reported sports concussions occurring during high school football, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schwanke says there are 17 different sports students can participate in at the middle school level, and some are more prone to impact than others – such as football, wrestling and lacrosse.
Sixty percent of eligible Sells students play a sport, meaning there are more than 400 student athletes. Across all four middle schools, athletes total about 1,500.
“It’s been a big, big need,” Schwanke says. “Before, (the athletes) were at the mercy and the expertise of the coach, and the coach was the first respondent to everything.”
Now, the trainers are present at all games, tournaments and other sporting events. The trainers are the first respondents to any injury, and they keep detailed records of injured athletes’ treatment.
It’s a process that, Schwanke says, is getting athletes back on the field in a more efficient manner.
“Let’s say a kid gets a concussion. The athletic trainers are trained to diagnose the concussion and then contact mom and dad and give them a referral (for a physician),” Schwanke says. “We get reports every week on the status of all the athletes. As a parent, it’s great knowing there’s a medical professional who’s there at the events.”
Photo courtesy of Dublin City Schools
Schwanke says the athletic trainers are also great at determining the difference between a real injury and something that “just hurts.” And while there hasn’t necessarily been a noticeable decrease in the amount of injuries, the process itself has been a lot smoother.
“You get a diagnosis, you get a referral, you get the trainer immediately on the therapy plan,” Schwanke says.
The student athletes, Schwanke says, have adapted to the program very well.
“The trainer does a nice job building rapport with the kids,” Schwanke says. “They feel like it’s a really safe setup for them to report their injuries. A coach can only do so much.”
Prior to the introduction of full-time athletic trainers, Schwanke says, it was not uncommon for coaches to ask athletes to sit out during practices if they had an injury. Now, however, the athletic trainers are more in tune with the specifics of what an injured athlete can and cannot do. Justen Wright is Sells’ full-time athletic trainer.
Photo courtesy of Dublin City Schools
“Now, the trainer can say, ‘They can do the stretching but no contact, but on the third day of their plan, they can start doing contact drills,’” Schwanke says. “Before, it would be more catchall. For me, as a football coach, it’s been a godsend.”
The parents, Schwanke says, have also been enjoying the inclusion of the athletic trainers.
“(Wright) has a meet the coach night and he speaks and has direct lines of communication with them,” Schwanke says. “Parents have been happy to have that.”
The agreement will save the district $500,000 over the next five years. The agreement also gives students shadowing opportunities and presentations on health and safety for coaches and parents alike.
Concussions
Photo courtesy of Dublin City Schools
Ensure athletes avoid:
- Striking another athlete in the head
- Using their head or helmet to contact another athlete
- Making illegal contacts or checking, tackling or colliding with an unprotected opponent
- Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury
Take action:
- Remove the athlete from play
- Keep an athlete with a possible concussion out of play on the same day of the injury until he or she are cleared by a medical professional
- Record information about the injury
- Inform the athlete’s parents or guardians about the injury
- Ask for written instructions from the athlete’s health care provider
- Before returning to the field, the athlete should:
- Be able to engage in his or her regular school activities
- Not have any remaining symptoms from the injury
- Have approval from his or her health care provider to begin the return to play process
Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hannah Bealer is an editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
