Gold Standard of Care

How about knowledgeable, intentional, and dedicated for starters?

 

Then compassionate and empathetic, because they’re often treating athletes in their most challenging, emotional, and vulnerable moments.

 

Unflappable, level-headed, and laser focused, too, because when an injury occurs in the heat of action, they hustle into the arena with only a split-second’s notice and only their deep well of training and well-honed instincts to prepare them for what they might find.

 

Diligent, also, and possessed of a sound work ethic, because they’re often the first on site and the last to leave, and the hours are long and often hectic and include very few breaks.

 

Selfless, for sure, for they labor behind the scenes, and their greatest reward is a heartfelt “thank you” and the satisfaction that comes from seeing injured athletes return to action.

 

They’re teachers, coaches, mentors, nurturers, and encouragers in the noblest sense, and for the great ones, their vocation is a sacred calling rather than a job, all of which boils down to the irrefutable fact that they are indispensable and their commitment is invaluable to those whom they serve.

 

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association designates March as National Athletic Training Month. At Collegiate, though, that lofty designation applies to every single month of the year.

 

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have athletic trainers with such a high level of experience, expertise, and dedication,” said Andrew Stanley, Director of Athletics. “Their ability to manage the most routine injury prevention or maintenance situation and, at the drop of a hat, flip a switch to handle a potentially serious emergent situation gives us a huge advantage in our care for our athletes. Their presence allows coaches to coach and athletes to perform because they’re taking care of us on the sideline, in the room, and during free periods. We’re grateful to have them here every day.”

 

What, you might ask, does an athletic trainer actually do?

 

“We’re licensed health care professionals,” said Shannon Winston, since 1999 Collegiate’s lead athletic trainer. “We care for physically active athletes. We take care of any type of athletic injury. We’re the first responders when an emergency happens during an athletic event. We handle rehabilitation and manage prevention of injury. We specialize in concussion management.

        

“We’re one of the few health care professionals that can work with an athlete from the beginning of an injury all the way through to the end and see them happy again, back on the field and playing sports that they love. As an athletic trainer, that’s important.”

 

The athletic trainer’s role has evolved greatly since Winston came on board, and she and her associates have responded to the changing times with seriousness of purpose. In fact, in each of the past seven years, NATA has honored Collegiate with its first team “Safe Sports School” award, a testament to the positive environment and gold standard of care which they provide on a daily basis.

 

“Athletics and sports keep getting bigger,” Winston said. “Kids are more specialized. They’re stronger and faster. You need professionals to keep them healthy so they can get where they want to go.

 

“We have a trainer covering all day to help kids with treatments and evaluations and injuries during their free periods. We can take minor injuries and handle them ourselves. If they need to be referred, we have great rapport with the orthopedics and physical therapists in the area. We refer them and then work them back into the training room once they’re cleared and with instructions from the docs and PTs on the next steps before they can return to play. We have so much more going on than when I was first here. That’s required more time and more people.”

 

Winston, who also serves as Collegiate’s health and safety coordinator, oversees a staff that includes three other trainers who, in addition to being on call throughout the day, cover practices and events on both the Robins and Mooreland Road campuses and, often, when the Cougars go on the road and serve as guides on the side for student trainers.

 

Tara Tate signed on in 2019 and holds forth at the Robins Campus in the fall and spring and on the main campus in the winter.

 

“What gives me the most joy is seeing kids that we just put through four-to-eight weeks of rehab and watching them perform on the field again,” she said. “It’s a dream come true. That feeling never gets old.”

 

Erin Deloye, a Bon Secours contract athletic trainer, joined the team in 2021. She works with Tate at both Robins and the main campus.

 

“I took an introduction to athletic training class in high school and really enjoyed it,” she said. “While shadowing the athletic trainer, I saw the connections she made with student athletes and with me and the impact she had on so many lives. After being an athlete myself, I wanted to be that person for athletes in the future. It’s super rewarding for us to know that we’ve played a part in helping them get back and do what they love and seeing the joy on their faces when they’re back on the field.”

 

Kyle Hinton arrived at Collegiate in the summer of 2023. He spends his time on the Mooreland Road Campus primarily with Collegiate’s football and boys lacrosse programs and pitches in wherever he’s needed.

 

“I’ve always been a competitive person,” he said. “It brings a lot to my life to allow younger people to perform to the best of their ability and also provide health care so they can continue with a long, healthy, pain-free life past their athletic career. Being behind the scenes and still making things happen is where I thrive.”

~Weldon Bradshaw