Article reposted from UKNOW University of Kentucky News
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It’s opening day for the 2016 high school football season. Family, friends, teachers and fans will watch as young athletes who’ve spent their summer training and practicing begin their quest for district and state titles. As the team files out of the locker room and onto the field you’ll see players, coaches, team physicians and, because of a partnership between UK Sports Medicine and Fayette County Public Schools, athletic trainers.
The 20-year partnership between UK Sports Medicine and Fayette County Schools has provided full-time athletic trainers to each of the high schools and middle schools in the county. Additionally, this support is offered to Woodford County schools, and part-time trainers are available to Bath County, Nicholas County, Owen County, Gallatin County, Jackson County, Lincoln County, Rockcastle County, Berea and Richmond Model schools. Also, athletic trainers provide support to all Kentucky High School Athletic Association sanctioned sports.
Jenni Williams, athletic trainer for Lafayette High School, will be on the sideline at tonight’s game and every game and practice throughout the season. For the past 15 years, Williams has worked with student athletes to prevent and treat injuries. Watching her mother work for Kentucky Children’s Hospital for 40 years helped Williams realize she wanted a career in medicine.
Each day, Williams teaches athletes preventative exercises, tapes those who need it, provides rehab to others and prepares for practice. One of the benefits of having an athletic trainer available is there is “one set of eyes constantly focused on the athletes’ safety and health,” additionally it “removes the responsibility on coaches to make medical decisions,” Williams said.
Student athletes and coaches recognize the benefits for having an athletic trainer readily available. Eric Shaw, head coach of the Lafayette varsity football team, said “without them [athletic trainers] they can’t play, without a trainer, the athlete can’t recover as fast.” Shaw knows first hand about playing through and after injuries; from 1992-1994 Shaw played for theCincinnati Bengals. During his time with the team, Shaw experienced a knee injury, underwent surgery on his Achilles tendon and eventually sustained a neck injury that ended his career. To ensure these injuries don’t befall any of his players, Shaw incorporates Williams into conditioning and weight lifting. Shaw said, “she makes my job easier by applying what she knows to benefit the athletes.”
Young athletes, like senior Mekhi Clay, know how important the role of the athletic trainer is in keeping them healthy and helping them achieve their goals. Clay has sustained three injuries during his two years playing football. The fractured finger, sprained finger and torn hamstring were treated at UK Sports Medicine after receiving care on the sideline. He knows how the athletic trainers can work with athletes to get them back on the field, he said “when I broke my finger, the doctors told me, if Jenni hadn’t been there to set it immediately, I would have needed a lot more surgery on it.” Clay is still recovering from his hamstring injury but is excited to get healed and get back on the field.
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