Every Tuesday and Friday night, high school athletes across Hays County put their athletic skills to the test as they compete in their respective sports.
Beyond the pads, jerseys and bright lights are the efforts of numerous athletic trainers (AT) and their student aides, who often work behind the scenes to ensure athletes’ health remains a top priority.
For Monica Smith, co-head athletic trainer at Lehman High, the ability to oversee more than 800 Lobo athletes involves the work of a team. Along with Smith is Rob White, co-head athletic trainer, and ten volunteer student aides from Lehman High.
Hays High’s AT department, led by head athletic trainer Mark Winter and assistant athletic trainer Sarah Ashworth, has 18 student aides helping them in the 2017-2018 season.
Both the Lehman and Hays high schools AT departments also obtain help from Texas State University. Each school receives three graduate assistants, who assist in treating students.
Smith said the majority of an AT’s day involves a combination of injury evaluations and rehabilitation programs during the athletic period.
“Mixed in with a couple of off periods where we are maybe entering injury data into our online tracking system or filing away doctors’ notes. And then of course we teach our class. After school there is typically some sort of practice or game,” Smith said.
ATs cover all home events and practices held at the school, while also working multiple athletic periods littered throughout the school day, Smith said. During the fall, Lehman’s AT staff follows the football team to all events due to the sheer volume of injuries that occur.
Smith said the AT department is treated essentially as a student organization.
“We have meetings and you know we schedule things out. They are up here at the crack of dawn for football practice with us, and they really provide invaluable service, and, of course, we certify them in CPR and first aid,” Smith said. “That’s primarily what they use whenever they help us.”
CPR certification is one of the first things Smith said students learn as a part of the AT program. ATs also gain a basic understanding of how to address minor wound care, heat illnesses and other ailments they may see on the field, Smith said. Also offered is a sports management class, which is considered an elective for any students who are interested in the medical field revolving around sports.
“As they spend more time with us in the program they actually get to learn more about how athletic trainers play a role in keeping our athletes healthy or getting them back in the game from an injury,” Smith said.
Caring for athletes, however, goes beyond learning about medical science in a textbook, Ashworth said.
Hands-on experience is essential for full-time and student aide ATs, as it helps them craft workouts and treatments for specific athletes, and to see what each athlete is able to do toward recovery.
ATs also gain insight into new medical advances by attending conferences to learn new techniques and add “more tools to the tool box,” Ashworth said.
“Even though there are new science articles being done and more research, you will not have the experience until you get into the field and have that hands on experience,” Ashworth said. “Then ATs know how to approach a situation.”
Hays student AT Lauren Flores said that she has learned how to care for players over the past four years in the program. Flores also acknowledged that the job requires strength and courage, something she has learned over time.
“Being a trainer for four years was one of the most amazing times and memories I ever had,” Flores said. “It’s a chance I would never pass up.”
Flores also mentioned that she attended multiple summer camps at Hays High where she was able to renew her CPR license, while also learning invaluable information from other trainers in the field.
After student aides get through a year or two of the athletic training program, Smith said they supervise students through certain situations that pop up.
“They will be exposed to injury evaluations,” Smith said. “They will get to see us rehab with athletes, so they get to see all those steps along the way and if they’ve been with us a couple of years they can actually help and we can supervise them with that.”
Interest in the field is growing, primarily at the high school and middle school level, Ashworth said.
Driving that interest is the higher rate of injuries at those levels. Increasing reports of sports-related cardiac arrest and heart-related diseases is also driving more people to become ATs to help athletes.
“There is also more athletes coming out and thanking us as a profession,” Ashworth said.
March is National Athletic Training Month and both the Hays and Lehman athletic training programs were named as 2nd team Safe Sport Schools by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA).
Moses Leos III contributed to this article.
