The Making of #FitHappens: National Athletic Training Month
Posted: March 29, 2016 at 6:07 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2016 at 6:08 pm
National Athletic Training Month: By Melanie Parr
Do you ever wonder who is sitting with the big black medical bags on the sidelines of all George Mason practices and games?
In celebration of National Athletic Training Month, I sat down with recent George Mason Graduate and current Mason Rec Athletic Trainer Katie Graybill. Katie is employed through Select Physical Therapy which contracts Athletic Trainers to provide medical services at all George Mason Club and Intramural practices and games. Here is what Katie had to say about Mason Recreation and National Athletic Training Month:
I started by asking Katie the basic question can you tell me a little about Athletic Training. Katie explained “there are 5 domains to Athletic Training; Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment, Emergency Management and Rehab”. I was interested as to what the most common injuries they see during the season was. Katie said “knee and ankle injuries are the most common, along with a lot of lower back pain”. Katie did offer some advice to prevent these injuries for you athletes out there “for starters alw
ays be prepared! Be properly hydrated, and bring extra water to games because the weather is constantly changing. Also, try to hold a practice before the start of the season. We see most injuries occur during games, because players are not consistent with exercising before they play. Stayed stretched and remember that we offer baseline concussion testing for all club sports”. I was curious after learning all this, and knowing we had over 30 different club sports what a typical day was like for Katie. I was surprised to find out their days didn’t start out as e
arly as expected but they were definitely later than expected, she said “we start our day in the RAC offices around 4pm. Then, we are off to the club and intramural fields until about 11pm Monday-Friday. We are at every home game and tournament game for GMU Club Sports. We also are at most intramural games and playoffs.” With the late nights and long weekends, I wanted to know what made it all worth it and Katie explained “I enjoy working with my alma mater because I was involved with Mason Rec club sports and intramurals. I also enjoy seeing the growth of play at Mason, and the growth of student athletes over the course of each season. Katie then continued with that’s also why she loves this month NATM 2016 “because it brings awareness to the profession of Athletic Training. A lot of people confuse Athletic Trainers with Personal Trainers. Athletic Trainers are medically licensed and must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. This month is also about bringing about a safer approach to work, life, and sport.” #NATM2016
Want to hear or learn more about Mason Recreation Athletic Training click the link to check them out!
Visit https://recreation.gmu.edu/club-sports/athletic-training/.
Happy #NATM2016, and thank you to all Athletic Trainers for keeping us safe on the field!