Bryce Rudek, the first full-time certified athletic trainer in Tahlequah High School history, is already making a positive impact on athlete safety at THS.
Only 37 percent of public secondary schools have access to a full-time, certified athletic trainer, according to the National Athletic Trainer’s Association.
Up until this year, Tahlequah High School was part of the majority of schools in the nation that relied on coaches or uncertified trainers to tend to the medical needs of athletes.
Research shows that high schools with certified ATs have lower overall injury rates. At schools without ATs, recurrent injury rates were 5.7 times higher among athletes who played soccer, and almost 3 times higher among those who played football and basketball, according to a 2012 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
THS athletic director Matt Cloud, who coached football at Tahlequah prior to becoming the AD, said a variety of factors led to the school’s decision to hire an AT. The biggest determining factor, of course, was the overall effect it provides to the athletes’ safety.
“I think we dodged a lot of bullets when I was coaching [at THS] as far as injuries,” Cloud said. “The coaches were basically the trainers, too. That’s a pretty big burden to place on coaches; to teach classes a minimum of four hours a day, try to prepare for games and also try to do athletic training, which they don’t have an expertise in.
“It just made sense for us to take this step and hiring a full-time trainer. Creating a safer environment for these athletes should always be a top priority, and that was our thinking when we decided to begin the interview process.”
Cloud added that it took the school about six months to get the appropriate funds put together before a selection committee was formed to begin interviewing candidates at the end of April 2015. The committee interviewed four ATs before ultimately decided to hire Rudek.
Ever since accepting the AT position at Tahlequah, Rudek has not only made a positive impact on the well-being of THS athletes, but athletes on opposing teams as well. One example of this was during Tahlequah football’s Week 4 matchup at Tulsa East Central. When a Cardinal player went down with an apparent leg injury early in the second half, Rudek was the first person to sprint on the field to provide medical attention.
“I think Bryce [Rudek] has a passion for what he does,” Cloud said. “The thing I like about him is that he does care about people. It doesn’t have to be a Tahlequah Tiger; It could be anybody. He’s a compassionate person who cares about athletes and he’s just a true professional.”
Rudek went through the Athletic Training Program at East Central University in Ada, Okla. After graduating from ECU, he went to West Texas A&M and earned his master’s degree in sports management, and was also a graduate assistant AT for the school’s athletic department. After earning his Texas medical license, he earned an AT job at Nacogdoches High School in Texas, where he worked for five years.
Rudek has been at THS for just five months, but he already views Tahlequah as “a second home,” and he appreciates the kind words and compliments he has received from parents, coaches and athletes for doing everything he can for the players’ safety.
“My time [at THS] has been great and I’ve loved it,” Rudek said. “The players have been very receptive. And this is a school that has never had anybody here to look out for player injuries, so I’ve had parents come up to me and say ‘Hey, thank you for being here and thank you for what you’re doing.’
“To me, what I’m doing is just normal. It’s my job. It’s my job to sprint out onto the field when a player goes down. But parents see that and are really appreciative of that. The coaches, too, have been very welcoming. Everyone has been like family to me here, and that’s something that I won’t take for granted.”
Knowing the risks involved of having multiple sports teams and hundreds of athletes training and competing on a daily basis, Rudek said he feels having full-time certified ATs is a necessity for all secondary schools.
“With concussions being so big now, I think it’s very important to have professionals standing by,” Rudek said. “It’s also important to have them for a lot of other injury-related things. I know that when I’m on the sidelines, I often look like a chicken with my head cut off because I’m wandering around all over the place looking out for a lot of things.
“A lot of people may not understand what athletic trainers do. It’s not only about injury prevention, but it’s also about caring for those that are injured and getting them the treatment and rehab they need to make full recoveries. Trainers have to be prepared for a lot of different things and they have to sacrifice a lot of time. It can be difficult at times, but it is also one of the most rewarding jobs their is.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
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