We are pleased to announce that after much hard work on the part of our certified athletic trainer, Colleen Jenkins, MS, LAT, ATC, and the Athletics Department as a whole, Waring School has received the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School Award for its commitment to keeping young athletes safe.
The award champions safety and recognizes secondary schools that have met the recommended standards to improve safety in sports. The award reinforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention, and treatment.
“I am honored to receive this recognition from the NATA as Waring’s athletic trainer,” said Colleen. “We are committed to keeping our student-athletes safe during all activities on campus, and I am so proud to be a part of this Athletics Department. Mike Kersker, our director of athletics, and Jackie Raposo, our school nurse, have both been incredibly supportive in my efforts to support our players and create a legitimate sports medicine program—complete with policies and procedures that set our players, families, and coaches up for success. Participating in a safe athletics program allows our students to accomplish their own goals of competition, fair sportsmanship, good health, etc., and I am so happy to be a part of that.”
“The health and safety of student-athletes is critical as it has both immediate and long-term effects,” said NATA President Tory Lindley, MA, ATC. “NATA created the Safe Sports School Award to recognize and champion schools nationwide that are committed to enhancing safety in sports. We are proud to see the list of award recipients grow exponentially each year as schools see the immense value in holding themselves to best practices and policies that ensure a high standard of athlete care.”
In order to achieve Safe Sports School status, certified athletic trainers and their athletic programs must do the following:
- Create a positive athletic health care administrative system
- Provide or coordinate pre-participation physical examinations
- Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
- Plan for selection, fit, function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
- Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
- Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including policies and procedures for injuries and even protocols for environmental conditions
- Provide and facilitate injury intervention
- Create and rehearse venue-specific Emergency Action Plans
- Be sure student-athletes and parents are educated about the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities
To apply, schools complete an in-depth questionnaire that assesses adherence to best practice standards and recommendations. For more information about the Safe Sports School Award, please visit the NATA website.
