Board chairman Chris Christian tasked the student reps with a final presentation on a school safety topic of their choosing. The students chose to focus on Athletic Trainers, a subject particularly important to Harris, who suffered a severe leg injury during a basketball game this past season.
Harris shared her personal experience, emphasizing the critical role Athletic Trainers play in ensuring student safety.
"Schools have an Athletic Trainer on hand at all times, but if you have multiple events going on at the same time, it’s hard for one person to be in four different places. Especially this season when we have baseball, softball, track, soccer, tennis—all those sports going on at once. It’s hard for one person to do several different sports."
Reflecting on her own injury, Harris added:
"If our Athletic Trainer hadn’t been there, I probably would have lost my leg. If there had been another event going on and someone else had been injured, they wouldn’t have had any help because the Athletic Trainer was with me. I think it’s very important for schools to have multiple Athletic Trainers so that if there are multiple sports going on at the same time, or one team is traveling and one team is at home, if there’s an injury someone will be there."
McLain echoed Harris's sentiments, pointing out the increased risk of injuries when multiple athletic events occur simultaneously.
"Our school has one Athletic Trainer who is the only trainer who comes to games," McLain said. "The stakes are raised when multiple contact sports such as football, wrestling, soccer, basketball, etc., are being held at VHS. Contact sports are more likely to have serious injuries within their games. With more athletic/medical professionals, this benefits both Volunteer students and the opposing team."
McLain shared feedback from her peers, including a senior cross country/softball player who noted the importance of having more than one trainer to address injuries promptly. Another student athlete mentioned,
"I certainly think that we need at least one more for sporting events. It is very difficult for [the Athletic Trainer] to cover a volleyball game when we are having practice on the field. It becomes even more difficult for him in the spring with all the spring sports."
Volunteer High School principal Dr. Greg Sturgill supported the students' concerns, acknowledging the challenge of having a single Athletic Trainer cover multiple events.
"On April 23, Volunteer had soccer, softball, and baseball all competing at home at the same time. Thankfully, no one was injured simultaneously at separate sports."
Prew highlighted the lack of Athletic Trainers at Clinch School, which hosts boys and girls basketball, cheer squads, and Special Olympics athletes.
"Having an Athletic Trainer on site ensures prompt and effective care in the event of an injury. If an injury does occur, the lack of an Athletic Trainer can greatly affect the outcome of the student’s injury. Clinch is located across the mountain. This being said, if an injury were to occur, it could be over an hour before any medical personnel would be able to arrive. From a student’s perspective, I think this is a big concern that should be addressed."
The students' advocacy underscores the importance of adequate Athletic Training coverage in schools, not only for immediate injury response but also for overall student safety.
Their initiative and dedication to addressing this issue are commendable, inspiring others to recognize and act on the critical need for more ATs in school sports programs.
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