Athletic Trainers Gather To Help High School Athletes

STLtoday.com

http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/illinois/education/athletic-trainers-highlight-helping-high-school-athletes/article_cb32cf0a-bd28-5349-a44f-8508878222ea.html

Whether it’s helping student athletes with hamstring pulls or evaluating a student injured on the field, athletic trainers handle different responsibilities than trainers at the gym.

And this month, athletic trainers at Granite City and Edwardsville High Schools, along with their peers at schools throughout the Southwestern Conference, are highlighting what they do day-in and day-out to keep young athletes safe.

“What we do is we prevent injuries in numerous ways,” said Tate Merten, a certified athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach at Granite City High School. 

“Anything’s possible in athletics,” Edwardsville High School’s certified athletic trainer Drew Dintelmann said. “Hopefully, we don’t have injuries but it’s going to happen.”

March is National Athletic Training Month nationwide. Certified athletic trainers from schools across the Metro East, including Granite City, Edwardsville and Collinsville, gathered to celebrate their profession March 13 at Granite City High School. Local mayors and high school athletic directors also attended the March 13 gathering.

Athletic trainers like Merten and Dintelmann have to graduate from an accredited athletic training program with a bachelor’s degree. From there, they must be certified and licensed by the state and go through continuing education classes to maintain their credentials.

The trainers do more than handle athlete injuries and rehab. Trainers have to be aware of multiple sports medicine issues, like the growing concern over concussions in young athletes, as well as injuries that are specific to the sports their kids play on the field.

According to Bradley Bevis, athletic director at Edwardsville High School, the athletic trainers working in the Southwestern Conference have spearheaded initiatives that are now models for other high school sports programs. Those initiatives include guidelines for heat stroke, Bevis said.

Edwardsville High School also has a system where Dintelman tracks all injuries each quarter and Bevis receives a report. The school partners with a network of local physicians as well as Apex Physical Therapy in Edwardsville for referrals and to treat student-athletes. It also has a partnership with McKendree University’s training program so college students who are studying to become certified athletic trainers work in the school.