by Sarah Leos, MS, ATC, LAT, CES
March is National Athletic Training Month and all of us in the field hope parents, athletes and coaches make sure to take time and thank the hard work ATs put in.
Not to be confused with a personal trainer, who trains and works out athletes, athletic trainers are certified healthcare professionals who practice in the field of sports medicine.
All ATs are licensed, earning a bachelors, masters and even doctorate degrees.
ATs work with doctors, parents, coaches and, of course, EMTs for the best course of action for the student athlete. Athletic trainers encompass the prevention, examination, treatment and rehabilitation of emergency, acute and chronic injuries and medical conditions.
We are here to take care of our athletes not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Athletic trainers are absolutely essential to the health and wellness of athletes worldwide. Athletes come to depend on the ATs not just as medical professionals, but as someone they can go to and trust, as well as have a long and ongoing relationship with. It’s safe to say that any sports medicine team would simply be incomplete without a dedicated AT.
They are the first to arrive and last to leave, they are there before every 5 a.m. practice and after every late night game for every sport, every season. We do this year around, even on weekends and holidays.
Almost every school has or should have an athletic trainer working with its teams to keep student athletes healthy. Hays CISD has four licensed ATs; two at Hays and two at Lehman. The district also has a team of licensed graduate assistants as well as student ATs.
DSISD has two licensed ATs and several student ATs.
You can find ATs working for professional sports teams and everything in between. ATs can be found in the military, operating at clinics, at the Olympics and even performance shows like Cirque Du Soleil.
Next time you see a gruesome injury while watching your favorite sporting event, notice how everyone around wants to turn away. Instead, think of those who run toward to help those injured athletes. They are not only there for those moments, they have already put in a full day’s work preparing for that game.
Think of all the work they do behind the scenes, taping, rehabilitation and setting up the field. Today they may be taping your ankle, but tomorrow they could be saving your life. From band-aids to CPR, we are health care.
March is National Athletic Training month and we at the News-Dispatch salute those who care for the thousands of athletes who participate in Hays CISD sports.
