National Athletic Training Month Year 2.

If you didn't know March is National Athletic Training Month, so enjoy this read about my career as an athletic trainer. I am a little bitter that I decided to give up social media during this time because I didn't get to update my profile picture and bring more awareness to athletic training on a social platform (I'll get over it) , and because of the pandemic I didn't really get to spend the month around my athletes (this I will not get over).

My life as an athletic trainer has been eventful, from being a student athletic trainer at Baylor working with Division 1 athletes, and working as a certified athletic trainer working with high school and middle school athletes. I know that I've only been at this professionally for a few years, but I have learned so much and have met several people who made an impact on my career including other athletic trainers.

First off I would like to thank Mike Sims, and if you know Baylor then you know about Mike. He was an excellent mentor and it was an honor getting to work with him. He instilled a strong work ethic in the athletic training program and I wouldn't be in this position today without his guidance. Secondly I would like to recognize Kevin Robinson "Bro K" for allowing me to spread my wings in my final year of the program and allow myself to grow before becoming certified. I am also thankful for his guidance and for the long talks we would have about the future and how he was invested and cared about his students.

I would also like to thank Ngan Morris and Jay Ramsey who I got to work with for 2 years at John Tyler High School. These two have been in the game for awhile and taught me how to be a great athletic trainer. From coordinating treatment plans and showing each other new approaches to rehabs and evaluations, every day at work was a new taste of knowledge. They also became good friends, and their family became my family, I am thankful that God had John Tyler in my path because it was the greatest first two years as a certified athletic trainer. I would also like to recognize my amazing coworkers Jasmine Hernandez, John Bransford, and Cahan Felts for their part in the journey at JT!

Speaking of John Tyler I want to thank the coaches for making our job easy and being so easy to work with. When they tell you that you are part of the Cujo Family that is exactly what they mean. I feel that I will always be a part of the Cujo Family and will forever bleed blue and white. Also a shout out to my Moore Mustang middle schoolers, I can't wait to see them grow as Lions!

And my athletes of course. The reason why I do what I do. From the stubborn ones, the lazy ones, the easily motivated, the heartbroken, and everything in between these kids made every day worth it. Again I am bitter that it has been a month since I got to work with them, it doesn't feel real. I even miss the frequent flyers and the ones who would at times become annoying, but you know got to miss those guys too! I especially miss the ones we worked with daily for return to play, and I'm sad that we finally got one of our kids cleared and then sports were cancelled. My heart breaks for the senior athletes who don't get their final moments, senior night, prom, maybe even graduation? These are moments you don't get back and I feel for these kids.

Back to my time as an athletic trainer I have seen a lot of different things from a baby cut to gauze stuck to a turf burn and a bruise to a broken bone. Below are a few action moments, including my ESPN feature, a few students, and thank you notes written by our athletes. But I will finish with a few life changing characters in my career so far.

The first kid was my first solo rehab. This was a scary moment for me because I was at home one night and I get a text from Jay saying, "Hey this kid at your middle school tore his ACL, had surgery and you have to rehab him starting next week, his surgery was 2 weeks ago." This was my first big injury and I had no idea how it happened without being notified of anyone getting hurt. But I took the challenge head on and luckily for me his mom was super helpful throughout the process and would bring him up to the high school for rehab. Everything ran pretty smooth until the functional phase. Not real sure what happened but all of a sudden the athlete became non-compliant and that was a learning moment in itself. But hey he was cleared in 6 months and is back to sport so it was still a success.

The second kid was my first positive Lachmans (ACL tear) on the field. It was a freak accident. Kid planted his foot body went one way, knee stayed in place. Pulled him from the game, sent him for an MRI got surgery scheduled and then rehab time. This kid was a stud, he showed up to rehab every day willingly ready to work and was on a mission to get better. When I gave him home workouts he asked for more and he got back to normal quicker than expected. His full clearance came at 4 months and I was thankful to have a kid that was super compliant and was safely returned to play.

The next two athletes happened within a week of each other, same sport, same injury but different repair. Both injured their lateral meniscus but one was unrepairable where as the other was repaired. Both did the same exercises but one moved at a quicker pace. They were also close friends so they liked to challenge each other. During my time with these two I learned about gaining the trust of the two, and learned how to explain how the body heals differently. Without going into too much detail when a meniscus is removed the rehab is quicker because you don't have to worry about damaging the repair. Post surgical return time is about 4-8 weeks, versus a repaired meniscus which takes anywhere from 3-6 months. Again the two played the same sport so I had to learn how to help one athlete cope from missing preseason and the other from missing the season all together. The time with these two was always full of life and there was never a dull moment.

The next kid is special and I can't wait to see what she amounts to one day. I got to know her during her freshman year and we had minor interactions but lots of friendly conversations. She was an all around athlete playing every sport although I could not convince her to run track (still a work in progress). At the start of her sophomore year I heard that she injured her knee, she was given the run around with MRI and misdiagnosed with a torn meniscus. Unfortunately it was an ACL. (This was the start of the ACL epidemic we had at JT this year haha) But this kid worked her tail off from Day 1. She was adamant to return for the spring season and worked hard to make it happen. She challenged herself, completed the home workouts, asked before doing an activity in fear of re-injuring herself. We got her back better than before but unfortunately a few games after her return all sports were postponed. This kid will forever be in the memory log and I am going to miss her very much.

Keeping with the ACL kids we had another shortly after the previous one occurred. Oddly enough she too had trouble getting a true diagnosis but the MRI eventually revealed a torn ACL and meniscus. This meant another extensive rehab however it posed a different challenge, the athlete couldn't do any weight bearing exercise for 6 weeks. We got a little creative and had a little trouble with range of motion, but we worked hard. She decided to join the sports medicine program and started helping with her sport since she couldn't play and continued to rehab. She became a little stubborn but we finally returned her back to sport and she too got to play a few games before everything was cancelled.

We were finally wrapping up ACL rehabs for the fall when we got word of another right before the Christmas break. I had the opportunity to work with this kid while she was in 8th grade. She was tough, aggressive, and a team player. This kid had worked her way up to the sub-varsity team as a freshman but unfortunately made a move that cost her the season. She too showed interest in the sports medicine program and began to help while continuing her rehab. Unfortunately the cancellation has delayed rehab but I am confident that she is following instruction to return back to sport next season! She along with the others is a kid that I am going to miss and wish I could see her entire high school career.

Keeping on the subject of knee injuries, I came upon a life changing moment this football season. I was called over to my middle school to evaluate a kid for knee pain. The whole thing didn't make much sense because he went to the ER where they didn't suspect anything, and so they asked me to help with an ortho referral. Took a look at him and initially thought it was a ligament injury but it had a dramatic turn. Based off my referral as protocol they get X-rays prior to the evaluation with the Dr. Apparently the kid didn't get X-rays at the ER because the X-ray at the ortho clinic showed a large mass on his femur. Next step was a specialist referral where we got the unfortunate news, cancer. I was shocked. I couldn't believe that a routine evaluation would change both of our lives. Fortunately we caught it early, he received treatment, and against the doctor's initial suggestion the athlete was able to return back to school and even returned to sport! I am thankful that he didn't lose his life, limb, or ability to continue playing sports. I am thankful for God allowing me to land in his path and this I will never forget.

The next two injuries are way different than knee injuries and impacted my career differently. Concussions, 2 scary ones within a similar time. Both athletes passionate about their sport, one graduating with a big district game on the line, the other young in his career but very passionate about playing every down. One of the athletes had an injury that scared the daylights out of me. He landed wrong following a play, when we approached him he was looking straight up not moving at all. I was sure that we were going to prep for the worst, but he came too. The scary part was that he was fine once he was aware. Remembered what happened, his concussion eval was normal. It was almost as if he reset. Telling him he wouldn't return was difficult. He wanted to continue, but in this moment I had to explain to him that his life was bigger than the game. The second concussion was just as stubborn and both the athletes were salty with me for a second but hey I would rather have them be healthy and mad than the alternate option. The second athlete had a very stressful return to play process but we made it happen. Both athletes are back in action and I've developed different bonds with them since the occurrence.

I'll finish up with an athlete who didn't have a season-ending or influencing injury, but still made my time at JT worth it. I remember the first interaction we had she was demanding but also funny. We hit it off from the start and for the longest I didn't know her actual name, but now I will never forget it. She did have an interesting injury at the start of her season biting through her lip after getting elbowed. I feel like this was definitely a bonding moment. Up close and personal, her pissed as hell because she was hit in the face. Me trying to be the calm one as I'm staring at a hole in her lip, haha I will say it was a very eventful day for the both of us. The next few encounters were daily chats, foot massages, and stretching to stay loose. She is so stubborn but also very outspoken. I don't think there is an athlete that can compare to her passion and drive for the game. Again I'm sad that I won't get to witness the two biggest seasons in her career, but you best believe I will be following closely. When it came time to break the news that I wasn't going to return to JT, telling her was the hardest. I will always be her biggest fan, and I'm going to miss our daily sessions when I leave, and I'm in withdraw now that we aren't in school.

I wish I could write about all the kids that made the job worth it because in reality I could probably write a book. The kids mentioned shaped my career in a big way and the interactions will be carried on as long as I am in the field and then on. The kind of people you tell your kids about you know? But for the record I have enjoyed all the athletes at JT, and stay tuned for more updates on my kiddos.

To finish, I mentioned that I'm leaving John Tyler a few times. I have accepted a job at a new school not too far away. It was a difficult decision and there were plenty of tears, but as I mentioned they are in good hands and they will never be forgotten.

So thank you Baylor, John Tyler, both staff and athletes for giving me a reason to wake up every morning to do what I love. And here's to new adventures that lie ahead in my new role with Denison ISD.

-Coach C.