Imagine all-out preparation for a physically challenging sport that has a very foreseeable and permanent end date. That is the case when it comes to competitive cheerleading. On the other side of the coin, imagine being the individual responsible for managing anything from acute trauma to extensive and potential career-ending overuse injuries. Hello, competitive cheerleading athletic trainer.
Here are five times our on-staff athletic trainer (and former competitive cheerleading athletic trainer), Delaney Clymer, saw Cameron and Keke literally saving the day:
Episode one introduces us to head athletic trainer, Cameron Hieb, and assistant athletic trainer Keke Hawkins. Here lies the beginning of a seemingly never-ending stream of head injuries for Navarro Cheer. Not a single one of these injuries gets ignored or downplayed for even a second. This would be impossible considering that athletic trainer, Keke Hawkins, is on site and watching like a hawk throughout every cheer practice. Each and every athlete, mostly flyers, with a suspected head injury gets pulled aside immediately for a sideline concussion evaluation and held out of play accordingly.
In Episode 3, Keke Hawkins is seen multiple times applying therapeutic intervention to stunter, TT Barker, between sets at practice. Barker struggles to get through practice after injuring his back while competing at an All Star event over the weekend. Due to his scholarship lead responsibility to Navarro College and the fact that he went against his coaches advice in competing on Sunday after injuring himself on Saturday, Barker must go full out during practice in order to compete. When an athlete has no choice but to compete through pain it is the athletic trainer’s decision to rest them or apply dedication through education. This essentially means they understand the injury, how to manage pain and help progress an athlete while not removing them from competition. Some athletic trainers take the easy route and sit the athlete, but not Keke. Through this process trust is built, confidence can be restored and the team keeps their stunter. Keke had two options and she chose to apply her skills to create the optimal outcome for everyone while also keeping TT safe.
Cameron Hieb, the head Athletic Trainer at Navarro College, is the only seasoned AT on campus. At the beginning of episode four, Hieb is recounting the events immediately following the season-ending injury sustained by flyer, Mackenzie "Sherbs" Sherburn, that occurred in episode three. Being the athletic trainer not just for cheer but for every Navarro sport, Hieb was at a baseball game when he received the call. As he recounts this experience he speaks not only of the injured athlete but also of the team as a whole. This athletic trainer is in charge of the entire athletics program at Navarro yet still manages to have a deep understanding of the impact that this one athlete’s injury will have not only on her as an individual but also the team as a whole. This kind of thinking seems to be the heart of this school’s sports medicine team, to go above and beyond for the good of the many.
At Healthy Roster, we talk a lot about an athlete's Care Circle - all of the people who play a part in an athlete's return to play journey. Along with the athletic trainer and the student-athlete, the Care Circle may include coaches, physical therapists, doctors and/or parents. In Episode 4, Head Coach Monica Aldama checks in with student-athlete Lexi Brumback to see if she's been getting her treatments from Cameron. When Lexi explains that she hasn't had time, Monica pulls Keke into the conversation to create a better plan of care. Keke is able to articulate Lexi's treatments so far (or lack thereof) to Monica and Lexi, and as a team, the three of them are able to create a plan of care that best fits the student-athlete's needs. Athletic trainers have to know how to communicate with many stakeholders, and they have to be able to do it clearly and efficiently - and Keke and Cameron seem great at it!
Towards the end of Episode 5, we get the movie moment athletic trainers dream of (or maybe it's just me?): a montage of the Navarro College athletic trainers administering treatment set to Joan Jett's Love is Pain. From the taping to the ice to the pure volume of athletes needing some kind of treatment all at the same time, it's a great portrayal of what athletic trainers do every single day. These treatments aren't just administered before a big game or competition - they're often done almost every day!
Athletic trainers don't just stay on campus - they often travel with their teams! When Austin Bayles is injured during the actual performance in Daytona, we can see Keke immediately spring into action, jumping on the stage and running to help her student-athlete. Cameron is already backstage (along with what looks like other medical professionals) and both athletic trainers immediately assist Austin, while also informing the coaches and event staff on his status. When athletic trainers travel with their teams, they are able to provide care using their previous knowledge of the athlete's health and wellness and be a familiar support system for the student-athlete.
Even though neither Cameron nor Keke are at Navarro College anymore, they both had a huge impact on the Navarro Cheer program by providing medical treatment to the student-athletes involved in a hard-hitting sport, and are currently helping students stay healthy in their current roles.
To learn more about the role of athletic trainers, visit A Safer Approach at www.atyourownrisk.org/.