Kennedale High School has earned the Safe Sports School Award from the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) for providing a safe environment. Gus Stevenson and Shannon Johnson LAT are the athletic trainers at Kennedale and the ones directly responsible for receiving the nod. {{more}}
In order to achieve Safe Sport School status, Stevenson and Johnson and their team of student trainers are required to accomplish several goals including creating a positive athletic health care system, coordinating pre-participation physical examinations and promoting a safe and appropriate practice and competition facility.
The KHS athletic trainers are also required to provide an appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured student athletes, develop an injury and illness prevention strategy provide psychosocial and nutritional counseling, and provide injury treatment and prevention education for the athletes and their parents.
?We are very honored to receive this 1st Team recognition from NATA. Our goal is to continue maintaining the highest safety standards for our athletics program, while they maintain a high level of success? said Johnson who is her her first year at Kennedale after working several years in the Crowley ISD. She added, ?We want to give a special thanks to our school board, Superintendent, the coaching staff and to our Athletic Director, Richard Barrett, for always keeping our student-athlete?s safety at the top of their agenda.?
Stevenson ATC, LAT, CSCS, who has been with the Kennedale athletic program for a number of years now, was extremely proud, noting that ?only 296 programs across the country were recognized.?
Hundreds of students participate in KHS athletics and do so safely, but, when there are accidents and injuries, Stevenson and Johnson, are there to provide assistance, often as the first responders and later as the ones who help carry out doctor and therapist orders.
It is not unusual for two or three sports to be playing at home on campus on a given day or evening. In the spring, it may be track, baseball and softball, all playing at the same time. In the winter, you will find basketball and soccer and in the fall it is football and volleyball. Not to mention cross-country, powerlifting, tennis and golf, all unique with their potential injuries, training regiments and treatments.
According to the NATA, athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries.
