Participation in high school sports continues to grow nationwide. As more athletes join the game, competition becomes bigger, faster, and more intense—but the higher level of play means keeping athletes safe and healthy is particularly paramount.
Since Joe Graack took over as athletic director for Santa Maria High School in 2012, sports safety has been a top priority. For its diligence, the school’s Athletic Department recently received the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Safe Sports School award.
According to a press release from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Santa Maria is one of six schools in California to receive the award and one in 123 nationally.
The award is determined after schools undergo an accreditation review process. Graack said there are 18 pages of criteria for the review. The requirements include information on athletic training health care, physical exams, safe practice, athlete maintenance, evaluation, prevention, detail to environmental conditions, and nutrition counseling.
“We sent all of our basic information in for review. It is basically a comprehensive look at all the protocols involved with the Athletic Department,” Graack said. “I was surprised that we were the first school in the district to go through the process.”
Santa Maria High currently boasts 665 student athletes and 71 coaches, assistant coaches, and volunteers. Based on the results of the review, the accreditation for the school’s athletics will run until 2017, when they’ll be up for review again. Graack said he’s happy to have someone from the outside see that the procedures are in place and reaffirm the belief that they’re doing everything they can to keep athletes safe.
“One of the things I say every year at the coaches meeting is that these kids are someone’s sons or daughters,” Graack said. “No matter what is going on on the field, safety is of the utmost importance.”
Graack’s biggest focus, in addition to increasing participation in athletics, has been on injury prevention and proper practices. The Athletic Department has increased cool down periods and the number of opportunities to be trained and mentored on injury prevention for coaches.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes Graack has made came this last school year and involved the amount of time athletes may practice. Graack doesn’t allow athletes to practice twice a day; according to the athletic director, CIF rules next year will limit practice times to 18 hours a week, three hours a day maximum.
“I tell the coaches these kids are 14 to 17 years old, I do not want them practicing twice a day,” Graack said.
Football is the only exception, but even their twice-a-day practices are limited to one hour each.
“What’s changed over five years is the demand placed on these kids,” Graack explained. “They are pushing their bodies more, and when they push more, they injure themselves.”
Athletic Trainer Kayla George is on board with limiting practice times—something she said the athletes aren’t always happy about.
“There are a lot of football players that wrestle, and I make them take two weeks off to get healthy and back in shape before they start their next season,” she said.
While the trainer did acknowledge that being a multi-sport athlete is good for avoiding repetitive injuries, the students still need time to recover so they can go into the next season healthy.
George, who started at Santa Maria High School three years ago, plays an important role in making sure coaches understand their responsibilities to keep players safe, citing that communication between all parties is crucial.
“I go to the coaches at the start of the year and walk them through the manual that lays out the action plans and the chain of command for handling different injuries,” George said.
She also works with coaches on making sure players are using proper techniques and taking measures to avoid big hits. The trainer said that she’s been very lucky with the coaching staff at Santa Maria High, who want kids to succeed both on and off the field and trust George’s decisions.
When George stepped into the athletic training position at the school, her first goal was to expand the program and equip the training room with modalities. Upon taking the job, she discovered that there was no electrical stim machine or heating unit—all they had was ice.
“I was able to acquire a portable stim and heating unit, and Sims Physical Therapy donated two whirlpools,” George said.
For athletes, having access to modalities and top-of-the-line treatment helps them return to play faster and keep on par with other schools in the district. George, like Graack, agrees that prevention is the No. 1 priority for ensuring athletic safety.
With this in mind, the Athletic Department plays host to a mandatory annual Concussion Education Day for athletes, as well as covers different types of injuries and how to handle them. But for George, making sure the athletes understand their responsibility is the most important.
“I explain to them the importance of modalities and why I tape them,” George said. “From the start, I need them to buy into what I am telling them.”
When she’s treating athletes and making decisions on the field, George said she looks at all of the athletes like they’re her own children and considers how she’d want them treated if she were their parent.
“The coaches understand that my job is to make sure they are playing as healthy and safe as possible,” George said.
Since her days as a softball player, the trainer said she’s pleased to see there’s finally more of a movement toward overall athletic health in the classroom and on the field. As for the future of the Saints’ Athletic Department, George said she’d like to continue educating athletes and maybe even adopt an athlete ambassador program; athletes would be trained in first aid and CPR, acting as her “eyes” on the field. She’d also love to expand the concussion education program and outfit the training room with more modalities and bigger-ticket items. For now, George is thrilled that she’s helped provide her athletes with something they can be proud of.
“I think this award is great for the kids,” she said. “I want them to walk on the field, know that they’re safe, and know what their school does for them.”
Staff Writer Kristina Sewell thinks all California high schools need athletic trainers. Contact her at ksewell@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 12-19, 2014.
