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Schools

School athletics could get safer

By LETITIA STEIN
Published August 31, 2006

TAMPA - Ambulances wait outside football games at Hillsborough County high schools - just in case.

There's less precaution at routine practices, whether it's for the football team, high-flying cheerleaders or inexperienced junior varsity athletes.

Now safety is getting a higher profile on the playing field. Certified athletic trainers are expected to take up residence at Hillsborough high schools, courtesy of the University of South Florida's sports medicine program.

"So many of the injuries that occur in athletics occur in practice," Hillsborough's athletic director, Vernon Korhn, told School Board members at a workshop Wednesday. While coaches are trained for emergencies and safe practices, he welcomes experts.

"We're talking about full-time athletic trainers all year long, for all of our sports, which would be a huge benefit," he said.

Parents in the Tampa Bay area don't need reminders about the potential dangers in sports for children. Two boys - ages 11 and 12 - died this summer after youth football league practices.

In January, an 8-year-old boy died after practicing with a soccer club. A year earlier, a 17-year-old Alonso High baseball player collapsed and died after a running exercise.

"Seconds mean life," said Eric Coris, a physician and director of the division of sports medicine at USF. "The safety net for the high school athlete - or any athlete - is the athletic trainer."

Athletic trainers can teach coaches and students about safety and emergency procedures. And they're on hand in case something happens.

Wharton High School has a certified trainer. Most Hillsborough high schools do not.

Over the next year, USF will try to put certified athletic trainers into all high schools. They also will work with athletes and students interested in sports medicine and health care.

"It's really a trickle-down effect," Coris said. "It becomes an educational opportunity for the students."

The program is funded through the USF Sports Medicine and Athletic-Related Trauma Institute, which this year received $3-million in funding from the state Legislature. The SMART Institute's activities include training sessions for Hillsborough coaches.

In the future, it wants to place athletic trainers in high schools around the Tampa Bay region.

Letitia Stein can be reached at lstein@sptimes.com or 226-3400.

[Last modified August 31, 2006, 06:50:33]