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Terry DeWitt named to Arkansas Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame

Dr. Terry DeWitt, chair of the Department of Kinesiology & Leisure Studies at Ouachita Baptist University, was inducted into the Arkansas Athletic Trainers Association (AATA) Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 23.

DeWitt is the first standing president of the AATA to be inducted into their Hall of Fame. DeWitt served for two years as president-elect and is beginning his second year as president of the AATA.

“I was very humbled to be in the Hall of Fame,” DeWitt said. “I am in there with some really neat folks that have been around for a really long time.”

Hall of Fame inductees must be nominated by a fellow AATA member, have state and national certification for athletic training, have at least 15 years of membership in the AATA and an achievement meriting recognition. Current Hall of Fame members vote on the nominees.

DeWitt was inducted at the AATA annual meeting at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, where members also attended sessions addressing topics ranging from spine board protocols to radiology. Joining DeWitt in the 2016 Hall of Fame class is Andy Clawson, athletic trainer for The Citadel and a native of El Dorado, Ark.

“It was humbling. I look back at how long I have been doing this as a student, a grad student and once I got my license to do it for real – I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and I absolutely love it. I love this profession,” DeWitt added. “I believe someone said that if you find a job that you love you’ll never work a day in your life; I believe that.”

DeWitt has published two peer-reviewed journal articles on athletic training. He has served on numerous committees in the AATA and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association since becoming a certified member in 1991. His awards include the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 2012, Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 2012, the NATA Service Award in 2009 and the Arkansas Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2005. Three governors have reappointed him to the Arkansas State Licensing Board since he began serving in that capacity in 2001.

DeWitt earned his Bachelor of Science in Education degree at Ouachita, his Master of Education degree at Nicholls State University, his Master of Science in Education degree from Henderson State University and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Arkansas. A faculty member at Ouachita since 1999, he began working as the first athletic trainer in Clark County in 1990 with Baptist Health and Twin Rivers Orthopedic Clinic.

DeWitt has served on two combat tours to Iraq as part of the U.S. Army Reserve. He has been awarded the Bronze Star in 2005 and 2010 for meritorious service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2003, he founded the Armed Forces Athletic Trainers’ Society to promote athletic trainers within the Department of Defense and the U.S. government.

DeWitt and his wife, Charlotte, an elementary school counselor, have lived in Arkadelphia for the past 25 years. They have two children, Lauren and Clinton, and three grandchildren.

According to its website, the AATA has existed for 30 years “to advance, encourage and improve the athletic training profession.” DeWitt has been involved in the AATA since its second meeting.

For more information, contact Dr. Terry DeWitt at dewittt@obu.edu or 870-245-5264.

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Finney Named Athletic Trainer of the Year

Christa Finney, who has served as the athletic trainer for Bryant athletics since 2006, was named the 2016 Athletic Trainer of the Year at the 30th anniversary of the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association Clinical Symposia and annual meeting on Saturday, April 23, at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Christa Finney

Christa Finney

Finney has worked for OrthoArkansas Orthopedics & Sports Medicine for 16 years, providing medical coverage to Little Rock Catholic, Arkansas Baptist Prep and Little Rock Episcopal Collegiate before becoming head athletic trainer at Bryant and will become a full-time employee of the Bryant School District this July.

She was nominated for the award by Patti Webb, the athletic trainer at Alma High School; chosen by the AATA Honors and Awards Committee; and introduced by Bryant Athletic Director Mike Lee. Finney will be honored in the AATA section of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame at Verizon Arena for the next year and recognized at the annual Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star Football game in June.

“When I think about all the athletic trainers in the state, there are more than I can count who also deserve this award,” Finney said. “When it comes down to it, we are all working hard as the ‘team behind the team’ to keep our athletes healthy and doing what they love, so I am very humbled that I was chosen out of such an amazing group of healthcare professionals.

“But even more so than this award, my biggest honor (and I still get choked up about this) comes from that fact that I know of at least six graduating athletes who will be majoring in Athletic Training, and have three former BHS athletes who have graduated or are graduating from an accredited Athletic Training program,” she noted. “I tell them all from the start that you have to have a passion for this career. There are long hours, ever-changing schedules, crazy injuries, and so many details behind-the-scenes — from paperwork to rehab all the way to legislative efforts — that we manage that nobody ever sees. But we do it for these kids and hope that we’re making a difference by being an advocate in their athletic healthcare.”

Finney wrote and restructured the Bryant School District Emergency Action Plan (EAP), which as been adopted by the Bryant Fire Department, the Bryant Police Department, and MedTran EMS. She started the initial drive to obtain Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for the school district.FinneyAward

Annually, Finney has served as a contract AT for CheerSport, a traveling All-Star Competitive Cheer and Dance company with Varsity; as well as providing in-service for Bryant School District coaches. She’s been a yearly speaker at OrthoArkansas Coaches Clinic.

In addition, she’s served on the AATA Executive Board as Recording Secretary since 2007 and served five years on the Public Relations Committee. For 12 years, she’s served on the AHSCA all-star committee of the AATA and provided medical coverage for the AHSCA all-star games. She also participated in several legislative task force sessions toward Act 1214 of 2011 as well as current bills in committee and interim study.

Finney is yearly an educational speaker for spirit coaches at the Arkansas High School Coaches Association clinic in association with the high school all-star week; educational speaker at several football coaches clinics over the last 10 years. She’s been an educational speaker at Bryant Rotary Club.

In the last 15 years as an AT, Finney has served 20 State Championship teams and six State runner-up teams.

In 2009, she was the Dr. Doug Parker Award co-recipient for assisting in raising over $20,000 in funds for the AATA legislative endeavors in 2008. The AATA Dr. Doug Parker Recognition Award “may be, but does not have to be, given annually to an individual who has served the Association in a dedicated professional manner. This service may be on a volunteer, behind the scene basis, through appointed, elected duties or gone above and beyond the call of duty as well as enhancing athletic training in the state of Arkansas. Their time and talents have been for the betterment of the Association and the advancement of the profession.”

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Arkansas Athletic Trainers Provide Hands on Training for HS Students

The Arkansas Athletic Trainers Association is holding their annual meeting at Arkansas Children’s Hospital this weekend.

Organizers used Friday as the time where high school students interested in sports medicine could gather at Children’s to get career advice and have some hands-on fun.

In a theater that resembled a medical school class or a business seminar, the students got to watch as orthopedic surgeons performed ligament surgery on a cadaver knee.

This is the kind of perspective that even medical students might not get until years into their higher education.

“This is a really great way for when the rubber meets the road to get hands-on experience in some of the things they’re interested in,” said Jonathan Elrod, sports medicine coordinator for ACH.

The field of sports medicine is growing, with more and more young people more learning they can stay connected to sports by becoming a trainer or a medical professional in a sports-related specialty.

“I’ve been in sports all my life,” said Kennedy King, a senior at Lakeside High in Hot Springs. “Anatomy is something that I’ve slowly, slowly gotten more interested in and that’s what I’m going to actually major in next year. I’m going into pre-medicine at Hendrix.”

“Orthopedics has been around for years and years,” said Dr. Michael Israel, a non-surgical sports medicine specialist who works at ACH. “Over the past 20 years, sports medicine has become more popular, they’ve gone from about 20 to 30 programs to about 100 training programs in the past about 15 years.”

Dr. Israel attributes the growth to our increasingly active lifestyles and the attention paid to young athletes. He told THV11 diagnosing sports injuries is getting better and better. It will be these future doctors and medical pros that will deal with the consequences of those injuries as their playing days come to an end.

“It ends for everybody at some point,” said King. “Whether it be at the high school level, the college level or even if you go to the NFL or something, it’s always going to end and you have to have something to do afterward.”

Day 2 of the trainers’ meeting will include a focus on communications between trainers and EMT’s when it comes to spine-boarding. Leaders call proper protocols crucial to saving lives and limbs when serious injuries happen on the playing fields and courts.

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