Welcome to my blog on the profession of Athletic Training. I want to use this as forum to comment on issues in the profession, talk about techniques, hints, tricks of the trade, product reviews, etc. So join me!
The open basketweave has been around for many years and is still taught in many athletic training programs and texts. It is used to control swelling in an acute ankle injury situation. While still being taught you will very rarely see it in use. Actually, the only time I have ever seen it applied to an athlete was while visiting the Naval Academy for a contest and I saw the legendary athletic trainer "Red" Romo apply it to a cadet using 1 inch white tape. It was a work of art and it has stayed with me all these years.
I have always been disillusioned with compression wraps for acute ankle sprains. You spend you time working to reduce swelling or prevent it from occurring in the first place. You then apply an elastic wrap with a horseshoe and send them on their way. They return the next day either wrap in hand or reapplied in a fashion that affords no compression. All your work is for naught as the ankle is swollen and you are back to square one. The most common reason for athletes taking their compression wrap off is the need to shower.
The introduction of Powertape offers a tape that does not absorb water. It is a man made material that does not degrade when wet. With this in mind, I began applying open basketweaves to acute ankle sprains and have been very pleased with the results. The taping is applied after treatments are finished. It provides support by the use of stirrups, compression by the use of Powertape and PowerFlex. You can adjust the amount of compression by how tight you apply the PowerFlex. The taping is kept on until the next treatment session. It is left on for showering as it is basically waterproof. The athletes do like it as it provides support throughout the day that an elastic wrap does not offer. We have made it a standard part of our acute ankle sprain care.
PowerFlex is applied to the ankle for use as compression to the injured area. It is important to allow some stretch to remain to account for additional swelling. A horseshoe may be applied under the tape for additional compression to the injured area.
PowerTape is a cohesive product that sticks to itself and PowerFlex. Three 1 ½” stirrups are applied for either lateral or medial ligamentous support.
1” PowerTape is applied in the traditional fashion leaving the center open to allow for expansion.
Four 1” strips are placed lengthwise over the tape ends.
The advantage of this method over an elastic wrap:
There is no need to remove this for the purpose of showering as the tapes do not absorb water.
Support is provided to the injured area in addition to compression.
Continuous compression and support are achieved throughout the day since the tape is not removed for bathing.
Excellent results have been achieved since the tape is not removed until a return to the athletic training room. This allows for removal, treatment, and reapplication.
It is that time of year again when athletic trainers begin to think of purchasing equipment and supplies for the upcoming year. In these tough economic times you may have seen a decrease in your budget allocation making it even more difficult to purchase the supplies that you need. I will detail my procedure for trying to squeeze every dollar out of your budget.
First, you need to start with an inventory. I explained my process in a previous post. Hopefully, you have a couple of years of data to examine to discover trends, over supply, under supply, etc. You then decide what you need and how much. You certainly can put in some wish list items. One of the best devices for saving money is the BID. I always bid, even if it is one item that I need during the year. Call the company and ask for a bid price. It will always be lower than the catalog.
Some of you may already be required to bid on certain items over a certain dollar amount. Bidding works best if you try to buy all your supplies for the year in one big purchase. I bid everything, down to the littlest nail clipper. You get a better price because the retailer is selling you more items and a small profit on a lot is better than a small profit on a few items. To do this you have to be organized. That is where doing an inventory comes in. You have a good idea of what and how much you need.
Once you have a list of the items and quantity you need you then put it in list form with space for a retailer to place the unit price and the quantity amount. You can group items by sections. Tape, rehab equipment, various sundry items, rehydration, braces & supports, etc. makes it easier for you and the retailer to review.
You also have to be fair to the retailer in honoring their price. Therefore, you need to be very "exacting" in the wording of your items. If you only use brand X tape then you need to specify brand X "no sub" as in "no substitution". If you are not concerned about brand but just price then you would put "ankle underwrap" and get a variety of prices of different manufacturers product. You then purchase the lowest priced brand. Another option is to list multiple brands of the same item. You may not want the very cheapest two inch elastic tape but there are brands that are acceptable to you. You then list that item with the specifications for each brand that is acceptable to you. A great part about bids (other than good prices) is that you do not have to buy what you have put on your bid.
You can bid your necessary supplies and also add your wish list items. If you end up saving enough money you can then begin purchasing those items, also at a reduced price because of the bid. An important stipulation that you want to make in your bid is that shipping is included in the bid price. This will save you additional monies.
This process is made easier when you keep your yearly bids on file. It is very easy to go to last years bid make some additions or deletions, or change quantities and you are ready to send for this year.
It can be a time consuming process but in the end you end up with more supplies and possibly even some items that you thought you could not afford. So in closing:
Do a yearly inventory Develop a bid for your yearly supplies Review prices and decide on purchases Submit orders Never pay catalog prices
At the end of he Duke-WVU game for the chance to compete for the National Championship in basketball, Da'Sean Butler injured his knee driving to the basket. Athletic Trainer, Randy Meador was quickly out on the floor to evaluate the injury. Butler was in a lot of pain making it difficult to do a quick assessment. Those are the situations you run into during a game where you do not have the luxury to take your time and give the athlete time to collect themselves. Seeing both the emotional and physical pain on Butler's face, Coach Bob Huggins came on to the floor to comfort Da'Sean.
I truly feel that Coach Huggins was sincere in his concern for his player. It was also a special moment for the viewers. While Coach Huggins is noted for being gruff and bombastic it showed a different side of him to the public. Certainly, an indication of the love on the team that helped them come together and make it to the Final Four.
Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I predict we will see an increase in the number of coaches on the ground talking with their injured athletes. Coaches who never even came by the athletic training room after the game to have a heart to heart with their injured athletes will now be all over them during the contest. This I will dub the "Bob Huggins moment". Athletic Trainers trying to do their jobs will have to contend with coaches interrupting their evaluations so they can have a special moment with their athlete for all the fans to see.
While you may call me cold hearted I just feel that sports many times is about imitation. Athletes wanting to wear certain uniforms, (baggy shorts down to their knees) certain tapings, (football players getting their shoes taped), basketball players with elbow sleeves. (will someone do a study on the increase in elbow injuries in college basketball requiring a sleeve)
So be ready for those "Bob Huggins moments" next year. On second thought, nip them in the bud and have your own "Athletic Trainer moment" before any coach shows up.
I was introduced to Power Tape by Ron O'Neil, former Head Athletic Trainer for the New England Patriots. He now works for Andover Healthcare, makers of a variety of healthcare products. With his input the company came up with a totally new product. There are many adhesive tape products out there all fighting for a share of the market but PowerTape is different in many respects. It is a nonadhesive tape that sticks to itself or its sister product PowerFlex. It is an all manmade material that is fluid resistant. It also has less than 1% stretch during use. These features make it unique in the world of athletic tapes.
PowerTape is designed to be used in conjunction with PowerFlex. It is used in place of underwrap and provides a base on which PowerTape adheres. Without the PowerFlex, PowerTape would have nothing to hold onto since it is non adhesive. The advantages of this system are that you get a more support with the use of both tapes. PowerFlex itself provides a degree of support far beyond that of underwrap. PowerTape's combination of not stretching out and not absorbing sweat makes for tapings that do not break down as practices and competitions proceed. I have spoke with athletic trainers who use the system during two-a-days and do not remove the tape until the end of the day. It stays that tight. This is a both a time and budget saver.
Being the frugal person that I am and the use of PowerFlex being much more expensive than underwrap I have come up with what I call my hybrid ankle taping. I do my anchors and stirrups with regular white tape and then use PowerTape to finish with heel locks, horseshoes strips, figure eights, and circular fill in strips to the top of the ankle. In this way I get the extra support provided by the PowerTape but I save money by not using PowerFlex.
Some disadvantages are it may difficult to find the tape end on a previously used roll and it can be difficult to tear with moist hands. Besides that, I have used this product for the last two years and am very happy with it. I intend on using it in the future and would recommend it to all my colleagues.
Student-athletes all readily understand the importance of the athletic training staff. But does everyone else?
By Shantey Hill
Shantey Hill is Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, where she formerly served as Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer. She can be reached at:Shantey.Hill@liu.edu.
Like most athletic administrators, my days are often full, and arriving to the office at 6 a.m. to get a jump on all the work that awaits me is a normal occurrence. One morning when arriving early, however, I noticed more lights on in the field house than usual. Now I know this seems like the beginning of some sort of mystery story, but you can rest easy it is not.
The extra lights belonged to the athletic training room, where three student-athletes, each from a different sport, were rehabbing with our Head Athletic Trainer. This should not have come as a surprise to me, but rather a reminder that no matter how frequently I put in long days, members of our sports medicine staff are usually the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Athletic trainers are often the most dedicated employees within an athletics department, but they can also be the most overlooked. Generally, athletic administrators have a good understanding of the basic athletic training job description, but do you know about all the unseen work they do? More importantly, are you aware of all the knowledge they possess and how they might provide insight into improving your overall department?
BEYOND THE CALL
Although there are no typical days in the profession, an athletic trainer usually arrives early for morning rehabilitation, spends hours on the phone with physicians, insurers, and service providers, then begins the afternoon rush of preparing for practices, including taping and stretching athletes. After providing practice coverage, it's on to post-practice treatments and catching up with injury reports.
This daily agenda changes often, and is not inclusive of all that athletic trainers do. In reality, the sports medicine staff juggles the health and welfare needs of hundreds of student-athletes every day, often without sufficient resources and staffing. Ratios of student-athletes to athletic trainers can be 50:1, and at smaller institutions, the number can be even higher.
If those numbers don't jump off the page at you, let me explain why they should. Let's take the process of handling a season-ending injury as an example of one thing athletic trainers do. When student-athletes suffer this type of injury, chances are they will need x-rays, MRIs, surgery, follow-up visits with the physician, and months of rehabilitation, all of which are overseen by the athletic trainer.
But what goes unseen, and what an athletic trainer will never tell you, is all the additional work that he or she does in this situation. With parents out of town, student-athletes turn to athletic trainers for a multitude of tasks needing to be handled with this type of injury.
Athletic trainers frequently become the method of transportation for student-athletes to get to these appointments, often using their own vehicles. They are the ones who spend hours in hospitals waiting for student-athletes to recover from surgery. They continually communicate back to parents and coaches to keep everyone informed. And once the athlete is back on campus, athletic trainers often make sure the proper assistance is in place to help the injured student get to and from classes and have meals delivered.
If even two or three such injuries occur at the same time, on top of all the other work athletic trainers do to keep athletes healthy, you can begin to understand how difficult the workload is to manage. But you can also see how important their extra work is to student-athlete welfare.
LIFE LINE OF TRUST
Athletic trainers deal with more than just the physical ailments of student-athletes, often handling the emotional and mental ones as well. Let me tell you the story of John, a football player in his senior year, who was well-liked by coaches, peers, and the athletics staff. He had suffered only minor injuries until a torn labrum in his shoulder forced him to miss spring football his junior year.
John worked hard with his athletic trainer during the spring and summer months and was back on the gridiron in the fall. On the surface, all seemed well until one day, when attempting to register for classes in the office of his academic advisor, John became irrationally upset, prompting her to call university security.
Upon arrival, security was unable to calm John, and followed procedure by calling the local police and the Director of Student Health and Counseling. Because all parties knew that John was an athlete they also notified the Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach.
John refused to speak to any of them and instead made his way to the field house. Followed by university and local police, the Director of Student Health and Counseling, and the football coach, John walked into the office of his athletic trainer and closed the door. In the conversation that ensued, his athletic trainer quickly realized that John was not himself and needed medical attention. The athletic trainer also knew that John might be arrested as soon as he stepped out of the office due to his erratic behavior.
From the relationship they had formed in the months prior to this incident, the athletic trainer was able to calm John and was also able to convince university personnel to allow John's parents to pick him up, with the stipulation that he would see a psychologist before he returned. John did so and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder--this being his first episode.
John did not return to the football team, but he graduated on time and is doing well. When he and his family visit campus each year, they continue to praise the efforts of his athletic trainer.
Stories about athletes like John who were helped by someone on the sports medicine staff exist in every campus athletic training room. Athletic trainers are often the first to know when a student-athlete is struggling with a class, having trouble at home, or even when friction exists with coaches and teammates. When facing issues, student-athletes frequently turn to their athletic trainers first, as this relationship is more comfortable at times than with that of a coach or administrator.
AT THE HUB
If by now you're thinking the goal of this article is to create a great case for naming your athletic trainer employee of the year, you're incorrect. The purpose is to help athletic administrators better understand what their athletic training staff members do and how important these functions are to the department.
Take a minute to think about your sports medicine department. It is the one place in an athletic department where student-athletes, parents, coaches, physicians, counselors, and various other department personnel converge with information central to the well-being of student-athletes. Athletic trainers have their fingers on the pulse of student-athlete welfare. They know when athletes are stressed, disgruntled, or about to explode. They know if coaches are handling student-athletes in ways that are positive or negative and also what athletes are saying out of earshot of other staff members.
When athletic trainers are seen in this light, they can become more valued members of the athletic department. They are highly educated, highly trained, and extremely talented professionals whom I often consult on decisions involving scheduling, retention, and the student-athlete experience. I ask for their insight on what's happening in many different areas of the department, as they are the ones who interact with each of them.
In addition to asking for their insight, I make sure to acknowledge their worth in every way I can. They work long hours with low salaries and never take the trophy home. As a former athletic trainer, I can tell you that no reward is better than the acknowledgement of your efforts and hearing the occasional thank you from your coaches and administrators. It's not too much to ask for all that they do.
With a snowstorm hitting across the eastern US brings up the issue of practicing when school is closed. Standard practice at many schools is to hold practice, even though the school has deemed it too dangerous for students and staff to travel. Of course, the athletic trainer must now be there to cover the activity. Other situations arise when a school closes early and the athletic practices continue on normal schedule. This flies in the face of common sense.
If a educational institution has deemed it too dangerous to have students and staff traveling because of weather conditions why are athletes somehow exempt from those dangers. While some students may live on campus, and be able to walk to athletic facilities, many do not. While it may be nice for the coach to say attendance is contingent upon an athlete being able to safely travel, the reality is usually different. Many athletes will first make the effort to travel to determine if the conditions are safe enough. There is also the pressure from the coach. If they can make it into the facility then why can't the athlete.
Along with the athletes you have many support people that are needed. This will include student coaches, managers, equipment people, and of course the athletic trainer. Athletic Trainers best approach to this dilemma is to look at it from a student safety issue. Do we really want to put the athlete in this potentially dangerous situation. The person on campus that will be an ally is the school's legal counsel. If you put the question to them regarding the best policy I am sure they will be on your side. Set up the policy in advance so that all parties are well aware the guidelines and there are no complaints when school is cancelled. This is a situation that in the middle of summer does not seem all that important until it is upon you and there is no time establish meaningful guidelines.
Oftentimes, in the course of a year athletic trainers are faced with an athlete who has a fracture. Sometimes it is season ending, sometimes there is enough time for recovery and return. Other times the athlete may continue, provided they meet certain criteria. In the case of an athlete with a cast, the continued participation is usually dependent on the rules of that sport. Being able to protect opposing players from harm is usually the number one consideration. Athletes who can continue to participate present their own set of problems for the athletic trainer.
While fiberglass casts where a great innovation, the underlying cotton padding and stockinette is the same system used for the old plaster casts. While the actual fiberglass casting material is impervious to water the cotton padding cannot become saturated with water. Doing so leads to the deterioration of the skin and possible infection. An athlete practicing with a cast accumulates sweat and dirt over time, increasing the potential for a harmful outcome. Over time the cast will become a petri dish for bacteria. I had one athlete tell me that his cast smelled so bad that it woke him while he was asleep.
There are a couple of options that the athletic trainer can pursue to deal with this scenrio. In both cases it takes a cooperative physician to accomplish.
The Bivalve - After an athlete has been fitted for a cast and it begins to deteriorate ecologically, you send them back to the doctor for a new cast. The doctor then bivalves the cast and a new one is applied. The new cast is also immediately bivalved. The athlete now has two removable casts. The original and now smelly cast for practice and competition, and a new one which is now presentable in mixed company.
This procedure requires a physician comfortable doing this and a fracture that is far enough along in its healing. You also need a responsible athlete who will continue to wear the cast since they can now remove on their own. The athletic trainer only needs to apply the casts at the beginning and conclusion of activity. Tape is all that is usually required to join the two pieces for a stable device.
Cast Liner - The other option is to use some new products that make the underlying cast padding also water proof. These products are applied just like the traditional cotton padding but are now water proof. The athlete can practice in them and then go into the shower without any protective cover. In fact that is preferably as the shower will help rinse out any accumulated dirt and sweat. Many doctors do not carry this product because of reimbursement issues with insurance companies. I have used the Gore Tex PROCEL cast Liner for a number of years. I purchase this myself and when I have an athlete who is to be casted I send along some rolls of the material for my doc to use. It works out well.
Besides PROCEL there are a couple of other products now on the market. PROCEL. Here are the links:
I previously reviewed NCAA legislation that was up for a vote in Division II. Well, the legislation passed. I bring this up because the resulting legislation will not only make for a more balanced life for Division II student-athletes, but will also impact athletic trainers in a positive way. The main changes that were passed are:
Student-athletes in football, cross country, field hockey, soccer and volleyball report to school a week later. That will reduce the time that only student-athletes occupy campuses and, in turn, lighten the financial burden on the institutions to house and feed them.
Pre-season practices in Cross Country, Soccer, Field Hockey, Women's Volleyball, will be limited to 6 hours of athletically related activity. (only 5 can be devted to physical activities). Practices cannot last longer than 3 hours and there must be a 3 hour break in between sessions.
Student-athletes in soccer and volleyball also will play two fewer contests (a two-game reduction in field hockey begins in 2011), and the Division II Football Championship will be played a week later than in previous years.
Baseball and softball student-athletes also will spend less time on the diamonds through a six-game reduction for men and no more tournament exceptions for women. Golfers also get a three-contest-date reduction starting next year.
The Balance package also affected basketball with a one-game cut for men and women. In addition, a seven-day dead period over the winter holidays (12/20 - 12/26) gives student-athletes and staffs alike some strategic down time.
Unrelated to the life in the balance initiative but of interest to AT's is the following:
Head coaches and other full-time coaches to be certified in first aid, CPR and AED use.
This will make life a little easier at the Division II level. You may even see AT's leaving town on vacations over Christmas. A 5 day cruise would not be a bad idea.
Division II is not finished with their "Life in the Balance Initiative". Phase II will examine the non championship segments and exempted contests. Also to be considered is a change in the hourly limits (20 / 8 hour rules) for athletically related activities in and out of season.
Division II seems to have the right attitude regarding what makes for the best overall college experience for the student-athlete. These initiatives also have a positive impact on the support staffs. Let's hope it continues.
The NATA and the BOC put out a clarification last spring on the use of our credential and the proper acronym use.
From the BOC:
"ATC refers to the credential held by a Certified Athletic Trainer (AT). ATC should only be used when referring to the credential, and it should not be used in singular or plural form (ATC or ATCs) when referring to an individual Athletic Trainer (AT) or a group of Athletic Trainers (ATs)."
May be listed after the name of a Certified Athletic Trainer (without the registered trademark symbol)
Correct: John Doe, ATC
2.
May be used to refer to the credential (with the registered trademark symbol)
Correct: John Doe earned the ATC® credential.
3.
Should not be used to refer to the certified individual
Incorrect: John Doe is an ATC.
NATA Policy on ATC Terminology:
"NATA’s policy is not to use the ATC acronym as a noun. ATC is an acronym that describes a credential, not a person, and it should only be used following the name of a certified individual. Using the ATC acronym as a noun inhibits the Board of Certification’s ability to protect the ATC credential against misuse. In other words, NATA and the BOC cannot protect the copyright on the ATC mark if it becomes known as a common noun."
One of the other recommendations is that we use either the term Athletic Training Clinic or Facility instead of Athletic Training Room. I can go along with this. It is a better representation of our work environment.
We should begin incorporating this terminology as soon as possible. People often complain about the term "trainer" . What better way to phase out the it's use than by referring to yourself and your colleagues as an AT. When we refer to other health care providers we usually use initials such as, PT, PA, EMT, etc. Eventually, our athletes, coaches, administrators and finally the public will associate the term to us.
I decided to check out the NATA Think Tanks section on their website. You need to log into the members section and follow the link on the left side. The registration process did not go well. I followed the link to register and was eventually sent an email directing me to another link to finish the registration process. The only problem was that the page that I was sent to was the original registration page. The email directed me to click on a link on the upper left corner. There was no link, I was just sent back to square one. I emailed the NATA staff member who sent the original email telling her that I was getting no where. She did respond back promptly that she would inform the tech people and they would get back to me. Well, a week goes by and no response from the NATA tech people. I then email the original contact and ask "what is going on"? She again responds back promptly and forwards my email to the tech guys again. They do respond back right away with a new link and instructions. I am finally registered. I emailed back the tech guy and told him that everything was working fine. I also asked him how they expected people to participate in these Think Tanks if it so difficult to register. He stated that it has been a problem over the last couple of months and they may be looking at a different software vendor. So anyway, I am finally in. The Think Tanks are divided into different areas of interest. Clinical & Emerging Practices
You choose the areas that interests you but once registered you have access to all subject areas. It looks like these forums began in September of 2008. There are not many posts in many of them. Fundraising has 8 and Health Care Reform has 6. The most traffic is in the Secondary School and College/University. 496 and 112 respectively. Some threads are very entertaining, especially in the Secondary School discussion. You will get a good laugh out of, Coaches ...... Who has the best story, Parents....who has the best story, or Athletes say/do the darndest things. Great reads and of great educational value to entry level AT's or students.
Overall, I think the Think Tanks are a great idea, but it seems their execution is wanting. Participation is key in a discussion forum and if it is difficult to sign up you will not end up with new subscribers you need to keep things interesting. I think the NATA needs to push these more.
I would like to review a new product that I tried out this fall. It is the Portable Smart Heat by Therapy Innovations. I came across this in a catalog last spring and thought it was interesting. I am always looking for new products that will make my job easier. When I attended the NATA Convention this past summer I made a point of checking this product out.
Therapy Innovations makes two products, the Smart Heat System and the Portable Smart Heat. The Smart Heat System is designed for your use in a facility. I will review only the Portable Unit. The number one modality that AT’s use for heat is a Hydrocollator. They have been around for many years. Their chief drawback is you need to fill them with water and they have a long initial warm up time. This is okay in a facility where they are just kept on 24/7. When traveling it becomes a little difficult to carry a small Hydrocollator unit, fill it with water, and then wait for it to heat up. I have seen AT’s do this but it was not for me. Yes, you can use the home team facility, but with some sports this becomes unmanageable, i.e. football. You can also use this in your hotel. So when I saw this unit I thought this may be a great traveling unit for my athletes.
The unit comes in an insulated travel bag, with three pads that measure 12” x 12”. The plug goes into the wall and the other end has three connectors that plug into each pad. You can also purchase additional pads in oversize, neck or multi joint configurations. It takes about 10 minutes for the pads to heat up and each pad has a washable cover. When ready to use, unplug the pad and apply. When you are finished you just plug the pad back into the connector to reheat. It will reheat in approx. 3-5 minutes. You can place a moist towel between the pack and skin if you prefer moist heat.
I have found this modality very useful for road trips. The pads heat up quickly and provide a quick means of therapeutic heat while traveling. I also plan to also use these in the dugouts for baseball and softball games. In conclusion, I would recommend this product to athletic trainers. It is a portable and efficient means of applying heat when the usual modalities are unavailable.
Finished my annual inventory of my supplies this week. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I made with amount purchased in the summer, price paid, and amount on hand in January. I have accumulated this information for over twenty years making for a rather large spreadsheet that needs the hide columns feature to make it workable. In 1987, I paid $29.81 for a case of J&J Coach, this year I paid $37.42.
This process helps me in deciding what I will need to purchase next summer. It also helps to alert me if I may be running out of an important item before the next purchase cycle. This year I am running low on plastic wrap. I will probably have to pick up some more to make it through the year.
Inventory of your supplies gives you a snapshot of your program. Sometimes you find that you have more of something than you thought, sometimes less. It also alerts you to situations were people may be wasting supplies. Maybe someone is using an Elatikon or a Elatoplast type tape when just plain elastic will do. Sometimes I let things run out so everyone learns to do without. Something we all should do now and again as necessity is the mother of invention. Having this information also can help in justifying budget increases. Showing your administrator that your costs have slowly risen over the last couple of years will go a long way in convincing them to increase your budget.
I use to print out the spreadsheet and enter the numbers on paper and then transfer them into the spreadsheet. I now use a PDA. I download the spreadsheet into a PDA, do the inventory and then download the file back into my PC. It saves a lot of time.
FYI: I am kind of a geek. I like technology.
Another thing I do throughout the year is write down any item that I see we are getting low on. I do not wait for the inventory. This is kept in a file folder for next years purchases. This helps tremendously when I work on purchasing. My actual purchase procedure I will save for a later entry.
The Annual NCAA Convention will be held January 13-16, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. Why is this noteworthy? It is at this meeting that proposed NCAA rules and changes to current NCAA rules are voted on. Some of those changes have a direct impact on athletic trainers at the collegiate level. This is where the restrictions to spring football where put in, (15 practices opportunities, limited contact, etc.) mandatory one day off a week for athletes, no more than four hours per day of supervised activity, and more recently the ban of consecutive 2-a-days in the fall football. I always like to look over the proposals and see if there are any that will impact athletic trainers. Sometimes this can be negative, sometimes positive.
The NCAA classify schools as either Division I, II, or III. (as far as rules go) So rule changes in one division will not effect how the other divisions operate. Although some times the changes are association wide, especially when dealing with Health & Safety issues.
So with that introduction lets us review some of the changes up for votes:
Division II has a big package as part of their "Life in the Balance" proposal. As quote from the NCAA.org website:
"The four-proposal Life in the Balance package that Division II delegates will consider at the January 16 business session in Atlanta addresses what a recent Knight Commission survey of presidents cited as a primary concern: the inability to moderate athletics."
These proposals also provide athletic departments an opportunity to trim expenses. This is an additional benefit considering the economic times today.
Life in the Balance proposals for the 2010 Convention (Division II)
Reduce contests in men’s and women’s soccer (from 20 to 18), field hockey (from 20 to 18), women’s volleyball (from 28 to 26), baseball (from 56 to 50), men’s and women’s basketball (from 27 to 26), men’s and women’s golf (from 24 dates to 21) and softball (by eliminating the tournament exception).
Reduce the length of seasons in soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross country by allowing student-athletes to report 17 days before the first permissible contest (which cannot be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or five days before the start of classes, whichever is earlier. Those dates are about a week later than current legislation.
Football student-athletes could begin their preseason practice activities either 21 days before the first permissible contest date in Division II (which also couldn’t be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or seven days before the start of classes at the institution, whichever is earlier. The Division II Championships Committee approved a policy change (contingent on the adoption of the proposals) to move the football championship back one week to accommodate the later reporting dates.
Establishes limitations on student-athlete participation in countable athletically related activities during the preseason practice period while classes are not in session. Only applicable to cross country, field hockey, soccer and women’s volleyball.
Countable athletically related activities limited to six hours per day. (no changes to the football preseason practice period)
Only five of six hours per day shall be devoted to physical activities like practice, weight training or conditioning.
Any session with physical activities shall not last longer than three hours.
Three continuous hours of recovery time is required between any sessions with physical activities. The three hours of recovery time cannot include meetings or any athletically related activity, but medical treatment and meals are okay during the recovery time.
Establish a seven-day “dead period” from December 20-26 that prevents winter-sport student-athletes from participating in practices or games and precludes student-athletes in all sports from participating in voluntary workouts on campus during the same period unless those activities are conducted in facilities open to the general student body.
Below is a video presentation of the proposals from the Division II President's and Management Councils
Impact
This legislation, if passed, will have a positive impact on Division II Athletic Trainers. It basically starts fall practices a week later but does not extend the seasons except for football. Since practices start a week later it saves Universities money that they would spend on room and board and cuts the number of contests because of the later start. Cross country, field hockey, soccer and women’s volleyball cannot practice more than 5 hours a day and they need at least 3 hours between practice during fall camp. This will cut down on the number of three-a-day practices. There is also a dead period over Christmas for seven days. No practices or games. Great opportunity to take a vacation for a few days. Softball and Baseball also have a reduction in their games.
These changes are a win for the athletic trainer at the Division II level. There may be some jealousy at the college level. AT's may want to start out in the big time of Division I but after they burn out they can move to DII for a more balanced lifestyle.
Division I
Division I has a basketball proposal that reduces the season by 2 games but allows for a staggered start beginning October 1. It seems that there will be less games but the season got longer????
The proposal reads:
"A revised playing-and-practice-season model that reduces the number of regular-season games to 28 (or 26 plus a multiple-team event) and provides a “staggered” schedule for the start of team practice beginning October 1 (four of the eight allowable hours devoted to practice the first week, increasing to the current 20-hour week beginning October 15)."
I am not sure if you can view this a a positive or negative. You start earlier but with two less games you would at least have one less road trip. You may also have a little more time between games so more time to "get 'em healthy".
So there it is folks. That's why it is important to stay tuned to the NCAA legislation process. By staying informed you can at least make your opinion heard to your AD before the convention. This is especially true if the change would have a negative impact on you.
Mike Leach, Head Football Coach at Texas Tech University was fired for the mistreatment of one of his players. Adam Leach, son of former SMU football great and ESPN television analyst, was diagnosed with a concussion that was sustained in practice. He was held out of practice on the Team Physicians orders. Now, I do not intend to go into all the minutia surrounding the punishment, the rooms, justifications, etc. I would like to comment on the situation that the athletic trainer, Steve Pincock, was put in. Here is a quote from Mr. Pincock's affidavit: "Leach was upset and concerned about James' appearance and attitude. Leach said he did not want him loafing while the players were working. Leach told me to place James in a dark place near the practice field. Leach further said something to the effect that he wanted me to tell James that I was to "lock his (expletive delete) in a place so dark that the only way he knows he has a (expletive delete) is to reach down and touch it,'' which I repeated to James. Leach further told me to have him stand in the dark during the entire practice.He did not want James on the field, and he did not want James in the training facility. He did not want to see James. He wanted James to be uncomfortable. He did not want him showing poor effort. I took James and Jordan (an undergraduate student athletic trainer) to the sports medicine/athletic training shed near the field. At the time, all coolers or water containers were removed from the building so James could not sit on them. Leach ordered me to place James in the dark, enclosed area where he could not sit or lay down. The shed is a portable building that is used to store items like coolers and other equipment, which are used for practice. It is approximately the size of a single car garage. It has an overhead type garage door. It does not have windows. After repeating Leach's words, I told James that he was to stand in the dark for the entire practice. He was not supposed to sit down. I told him I would get him out when practice was over, and I shut the door. When I went to check on James after approximately 30 minutes, Jordan told me he had checked on James and found him on the floor. Leach had also instructed me to have a student trainer sit outside the shed to make sure he was standing and that he did not leave. I told Leach where I had placed James, and he was fine with it." I would venture that most of us would not like to be put in that situation. Unfortunately, there are coaches out there that make our jobs much more difficult than they need to be. Some would argue that the AT should have refused to comply with the coaches request. I would argue that he probably did not have any options. Athletic Trainers at that level were coaches are being paid million dollar salaries work at the pleasure of the head coach. It used to be when a coach was fired he and his coaching staff was replaced. Nowadays it is not uncommon for a new coach to come in and replace the athletic trainer also. Job security is not what it used to be. It is frustrating to see AT's work 20 years at a University and then let go because the new hot-shot hire wants to clean house and do it with his own people. Then three years later the hot-shot is now bounced out on his ear. I think this brings to light a real need for universities to stipulate that the AT reports to someone not associated with the coaching staff. An AT should have been involved in those events. Mike Leach used the AT to convey an air of legitimacy to the punishment he was prescribing. If Mr. Pincock had the job security to refuse the instructions, Leach would would probably still be employed.
Hi, I am a certified athletic trainer with over 30 years of experience. Over the years I have picked up a few things that are not taught in textbooks, they are things I learned from my everyday observations and experiences. I hope to include some of these here, along with my opinions on certain matters. I wish to remain anonymous as I feel this gives me more freedom of expression in this politically correct word of ours. Enjoy
