Manning Passing academy well cared for

The sports medicine team at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center is taking that same approach for the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University.

With more than 1,200 campers and 120 instructors — ranging from college players to coaches — arriving in Thibodaux today for the annual four-day camp, Thibodaux Regional’s sports medicine team has been hard at work for several weeks.

The athletic trainers and staff have been working behind the scenes preparing for the four-day camp, including bagging an estimated 30,000 pounds of ice.

“We have been working to get ready for this for about six weeks,” said Amelia Castell, assistant coordinator for the Sports Medicine Center. “We have been preparing to get our staff in line and figuring out what materials we need, such as bagged ice.”

All of this work is nothing new for Thibodaux Regional’s sports medicine team, as it has been involved with the Manning Passing Academy since it arrived in town.

The Manning Passing Academy — now in its 11th year at Nicholls and 20th overall — provides high school quarterbacks and wide receivers a chance to work on their skills with a pair of current NFL quarterbacks in Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) and Eli Manning (New York Giants).

Larry D’Antoni, coordinator of Thibodaux Regional’s Sports Medicine Center, said his goal is to make sure everyone has a safe and fun experience.

“There is a lot of coordination that goes into it with the different facets of the game,” D’Antoni said. “We have to work with the Manning camp officials to figure out which fields they are going to use, so we can set up all of the tables and coolers. All of that has to be set up ahead of time because there is no way with 1,200 plus campers to do this in real time. We have to do it ahead of time.”

Castell said the biggest obstacle for many campers is the heat and humidity associated with southeast Louisiana.

“Although they are not wearing any football equipment, they are not used to our climate,” she said. “Many of them are from out of state or even out of the country, so they struggle with our weather and some even develop heat-related illnesses. They are not used to our heat and humidity, and running three practices a day in these conditions are just rough for them.”

Keeping Manning Passing Academy participants cool and hydrated is only the start for the sports medicine team.

Athletic trainer Annalise Himmel said each camper undergoes a premedical screening during the registration process to help in the evaluation process if any problem arises.

“This gives us a good idea if any of the campers have allergies to ant bites and bee stings or if they have asthma,” she said. “This helps us get a general idea of which we campers we need to keep an eye on during the camp.”

Thibodaux Regional’s Sports Medicine Center is always looking for ways to improve its overall work at the camp, and this year will be no different.

With numerous athletic trainers, volunteers and doctors working the camp’s 32 hydration stations, D’Antoni said communication is essential, so every worker will have Walkie-Talkies to relay messages on possible injuries and where ice, water and other supplies are needed.

D’Antoni said he is also working with Barry Keim, the state climatologist for Louisiana, to help provide accurate weather forecast during the duration of the camp.

“We want to be able give the Mannings and coaches the most up-to-date information and let them make a sound technical decision on how to alter practice or adjust practice in an effort to keep the kids safe,” D’Antoni said.

Castell has seen the Manning Passing Academy grow over the years since its first year in Thibodaux in 2005. Soon after graduating from Nicholls and being hired as a certified athletic trainer, she had an opportunity to work at the annual camp and did it for several years.

After spending a few summers working with a baseball team in the New England area, Castell is back in Thibodaux and is witnessing first-hand how much the camp has grown.

“I don’t remember how many campers it had in 2005, but it doesn’t feel like it was as many as we have now,” she said. “Because of that, we’ve had to up our staff, so it’s just a greater undertaking. But now I feel we are more prepared and better equipped to deal with it than we’ve ever been.”