Athletic Training in a Small Town

I grew up on the southwest side of Chicago surrounded by a seemingly endless expanse of neighborhoods, high schools, and people. So when I took my first job in Muncie, Indiana, it is fair to say I had a bit of a culture shock. 

For those that don’t know, Muncie is a moderately sized town between Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne. Most recognize it as the home of Ball State University. At the time, I was working for Central Indiana Orthopedics as a physician extender, which then contracted me out to Blackford High School. The high school is roughly forty minutes north of Muncie in Hartford City, Indiana, surrounded by a seemingly endless expanse of corn or soybeans, farm animals, and occasional forests. 

After I became adjusted to my new setting, I came to realize just how much I enjoyed being there. For those hesitant to consider a position in a small town, let me share with you three advantages to working in a rural area that you may not have considered.

Easy Communication with Medical Professionals

Central Indiana Orthopedics, CIO, is a fantastic sports medicine facility with doctors specializing in a variety of orthopedic injuries. CIO is one of the largest, most established orthopedic facilities between Ft. Wayne and Indy, which helps make it the preferred choice for the community whenever a child needs to see a doctor. Being a physician extender here provided me the opportunity to learn and develop under their guidance, as well as foster a relationship between Blackford High School and the physicians. 

If an injury occurred during a game or practice, informing the parents and athlete about the staff at CIO was a simple process, as was scheduling them for appointments, which made parents more confident and comfortable about the care provided for their child. This was also advantageous with concussion testing and evaluations, as the doctors were incredibly accommodating with squeezing the athletes into their busy schedules. Establishing this relationship is crucial to the success of small town athletic trainers because, in many cases, resources and options are limited.

Knowing ALL Athletes

According to Athletic Director Tony Uggen, during the 2018-2019 school year, Blackford High School had roughly 511 total students, with about 200 (39%) participating in athletics. Roughly 127 students (64% of athletes and 25% of total students) were two or three season athletes. Mr. Uggen even estimates a few athletes (6-8)  participate in more than one sport per season!

This can be a common experience in small town schools, and it provides a unique opportunity for the athletic trainer. By seeing an athlete through multiple sports and seasons in just one year, you have the chance to learn a great deal about them. Professionally, you more fully learn about their medical conditions and how to treat them; perhaps more rewarding, however, is being able to learn about the athlete as a person, discovering their personality and building a strong rapport. This builds a great level of trust and respect with the athlete and hopefully the parents, which naturally leads me to the most rewarding perk of being a small town athletic trainer…

Being Part of a Community

Having worked in Hartford City for four years as the athletic trainer for Blackford High School, I was blessed to meet many wonderful athletes, parents, coaches, and staff that treated me like one of their own. By helping the Blackford athletes through some of their toughest times and comforting both them and their parents through ACL tears, broken wrists, and concussions, I became part of that Hartford City community. The staff and physicians at CIO were like a support group, often offering advice and lifting my confidence, which was greatly appreciated so early in my career. They helped form and mold me into the athletic trainer I am today. 

So, instead of dreading the idea of being a bit more isolated from a big city or dense population, I say embrace the opportunity to become an integral member of a wonderful and welcoming community. The towns may be small, but the experience is big.   

Check out my other two Athletic Training posts here:

Athletic Training Month

An Experience with Athletic Training in Ireland

Onward - Movie Review

We're just beginning March, which means we need our first contender for Best Animated Feature. Luckily, Pixar has delivered an entertaining movie full of elves, wizards, gnomes, centaurs, and a manticore!

FAST FACTS

REPORTED BUDGET: Between $100 - $200 million
OPENING DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $39 million
OPENING WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $67 million
ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS / AUDIENCE SCORE: 86% / 96%
CINEMA SCORE: A-
END CREDIT: No, but there is a bonus animated short before the movie!

NON-SPOILER REVIEW!

Directed by Dan Scanlon, this film delivers on what you'd expect from a Pixar movie: fantastic animation of a story that appeals to kids as well as a deeper emotional tone that connects with adults. This movie is based on Scanlon's own experiences. He and his brother lost their father without having many memories of him. If you left Joker feeling bogged down by the weight of all the depressing bits of humanity, then you'll leave Onward feeling positive about the wonderful aspects of family and personal growth.

The film certainly has a lot of recognizable names doing voice work. Tom Holland (main character, Ian Lightfoot), Chris Pratt (brother, Barley Lightfoot), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (mother, Laurel Lightfoot), and Octavia Spencer (The Manticore) all lend their voices to this coming of age flick. I left the movie desperately wanting a Holland and Pratt live action movie as soon as possible!

Make sure to get to the theater early since there is an animated short just prior to the feature. It showcases the youngest member of a famous TV family.


OVERALL RECOMMENDATION

I found the story entertaining as well as emotionally stirring. Pixar once again finds ways for animated characters to convey complex emotions and themes.


My Rating: A

This movie is definitely worth a watch whether you have kids or not. Be prepared to see this as a major player come awards season!

SPOILER REVIEW!

First, the animated short prior to our feature presentation: Playdate with Destiny. Maggie Simpson finds love at the playground in this Simpsons animated short. Nice to see the Simpsons back on the big screen again. The last time was for The Longest Daycare (a short also featuring Maggie) back in 2012! In this short, Marge takes Maggie to a safe and nurturing playground where Maggie meets Hudson. You are then taken to scenes of romantic dates around the world, which are actually taking place in the playground (nothing beats the imagination of a child). Through the rest of the short, Maggie attempts to meet him again, but Homer ruins the next rendezvous opportunity. The missed day leaves Maggie emotionally stressed until the pair are finally reunited by the end of the short. 

While I love the Simpsons and thoroughly enjoyed this short with all of the adult humor you'd expect from the cartoon family, I couldn't help but think this was a blatant reminder by Disney that the Simpsons are their property and can be conveniently found on Disney+. It'll be interesting to see if this animated short brings the Oscar attention that these types of shorts usually do. Overall, I'd probably give it a B+.

In Onward, we follow the story of Ian Lightfoot, an awkward elf teen trying to find his place in the fantasy world full of minotaurs, trolls, unicorns, cyclops, and all of the previously mentioned creatures. While it's a magical land, these creatures all seem to lack, well, magic. Modern conveniences have pushed the old ways to near extinction. 

Ian's father died before he was born from an illness, leaving his mother, Laurel, and older brother, Barley, to watch over him. Ian struggles with the fact that he never met his father, but a surprise gift from his father on his sixteenth birthday gives Ian hope of meeting him soon. The gift includes a wizard staff, spell, and extremely rare phoenix gem that is required to complete the spell for bring their father back for one day.

After several failed attempts from Barley to bring their father back, despair sets in and Barley gives up. Later, while reading the spell, Ian discovers he has magical abilities that nearly bring back their father. The uncompleted spell leaves only the legs of their father oddly stumbling around Ian's bedroom. With the precious gem destroyed, Ian and Barley take off on an adventure to obtain another phoenix gem that will enable them to complete the spell before the end of the day. Their journey takes them through some perilous paths, meeting all sorts of mythical creatures.

My favorite scenes from the movie are when Ian reflects on what experiences he'd like to have with his dad. These are where the emotional aspects of the movie shine through. Throughout the movie, there are also tensions that arise between Ian and Barley, which illustrate the stresses and triumphs that families can have.

The movie also does a great job of building Ian's magical abilities throughout the film. Barley uses Quests of Yore (the movie's version of Dungeons & Dragons) to help find the gem and train Ian. In the movie, their game is based on actual historical accounts of an age that has long since passed.

Ultimately, the movie commences with Ian coming to two incredibly mature realizations: Barley has been a father figure for him his entire life, and Barley needs to have a moment with their father even more than himself. This is a deeply emotional sequence of events that hits the mark for me in every way!

I couldn't help leaving the theater with positive vibes, which I think a lot of us could use right now. I would highly suggest people see this movie!

The Way Back - Movie Review

A troubled man struggles to find his path through the game of basketball. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that Ben Affleck plays such a convincing alcoholic? Regardless, his beard is amazing.

FAST FACTS

REPORTED BUDGET: $25 million
OPENING DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $8 million
OPENING WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $9 million
ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS / AUDIENCE SCORE: 86% / 84%
CINEMA SCORE: B+
END CREDIT: No

NON-SPOILER REVIEW!

Jack Cunningham (played by Ben Affleck) is a former basketball star who is asked to coach at the high school where he's a legend. Troubled by his past and his dependency on alcohol, Jack must overcome some obstacles along the way in order to find peace in his life.

This movie by Gavin O'Connor is rated R for some aggressive language as well as displays of heavy alcoholism throughout the film. I'd think twice before taking my young child to see this movie. If you're expecting Hoosiers, this movie is much darker.

Ben Affleck does a great job of showing the struggles of an addiction while trying to inspire change in a basketball program. The other major roles include Janina Gavankar (Jack's ex-wife), Michaela Watkins (Jack's sister), and Al Madrigal (assistant basketball coach). The basketball players don't get much character development. The only two that do are Brandon (played by Brandon Wilson) and Marcus (played by Melvin Gregg).

If you're coming to this movie for basketball, there are scenes of a few practices where Jack assesses the team and a few abbreviated game clips that illustrate the progress of the team under Jack's leadership.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of how they filmed the basketball action. They made you feel as though you were on the court with the players, but the view was a little off for me. I wished that I was able to see more of the action. However, they did a really good job of keeping you updated with the scores of the games without using blatant views of the scoreboard. They'd blur it out in the background, though not to the point you couldn't make out the numbers. I thought it was well done.

OVERALL RECOMMENDATION 

Throughout the movie I was going back and forth with things that I did or didn't like about it. Ultimately, there was a point in the movie where I definitively bought in to the story they were trying to tell. Is it Hoosiers? No, but I think it puts its own unique spin on the sports movie genre, which should mean quite a lot.

My Rating: B

If you're a basketball fan, there is definitely enough here to keep your attention. If you are looking for a deeper drama about the human struggle, then this movie satisfies that as well. I feel like this movie would be fine for streaming or Redbox.


SPOILER REVIEW! 

The movie begins with several minutes of Jack establishing that he has an alcohol problem. This problem is reiterated throughout the movie. I'd wager there might be about twenty minutes of Ben Affleck drinking on screen. Jack receives a phone call from the high school where he was a basketball star, wanting him to be the new coach.

Jack reluctantly accepts the job and sets to work trying break bad habits - both the team's style of play and his own alcoholism. This is where you begin to see the typical inspirational sports movie: coach has a habit that he kicks for the good of the kids he's coaching, and the team slowly improves miraculously under his surprising ability to lead. Montages of games are shown, followed by them implementing new styles of play, Jack having conversations or confrontations with certain players, and eventually them turning their season around.

One might think that this would be where the movie ends: everyone happy with their shocking success of reaching the playoffs for the first time since Jack himself played. Instead, this is the point in the movie where I bought into their story. The fairytale sports movie takes a dark turn when Jack is confronted about some of his alcoholic tendencies.

As the basketball narrative is playing out on the court, off the court we see more of Jack's personal life. We learn that Jack was married and even had a kid, whom he never mentions. We ultimately come to learn that their child died of an illness around the age of ten, sending Jack into a depressed state of self-harm via alcohol abuse, which ultimately ended his marriage.

Jack and his ex-wife, Angela, are called by a mutual friend to come to the hospital for support, as their son has relapsed. While in the hospital, Jack recalls memories of his own son being in a hospital bed. Unable to tolerate the memories, he rushes out of the hospital to the only escape he's known since his son passed away: the bar. He shows up late to practice the next morning, clearly still intoxicated. Dan, the assistant coach, goes to the administration after the incident, worried about Jack's well-being. They make the decision for Jack to resign his post immediately.

A self-destructive night ensues where Jack drives under the influence, crashes into someone's boat parked on the street, and then wanders in to the wrong home. After being aggressively thrown out of the house and down some stairs, Jack ends up in the hospital. Jack starts therapy to begin dealing with the loss of his son, end of his marriage, and how he can move forward as a productive member of society.

Do we get a happy ending? Sure. The basketball team plays well in their playoff game, and Jack seems to be doing well in therapy (I know I'd find playing basketball next to the ocean therapeutic). I appreciate the movie didn't try to make this a cookie-cutter type of film. They added layers of depth and took the ending in a completely different direction than one might be expecting. My one critique might be that the first two-thirds of the movie seem muddled. O'Connor tries to fit in two narratives that ultimately, take away from each other.

Not the cleanest story ever told, but it is an ambitious effort that warrants a positive recommendation from me.

Athletic Training Month!

March is a month to celebrate the wonderful work that Athletic Trainers do every day. I have been an Athletic Trainer for nine years now! There have been many ups and downs along my path, and I thought I'd share a bit of my Athletic Training story.

Most of you are probably asking: What is Athletic Training?

According to the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), Athletic Training encompasses the prevention, examination, diagnosis, and the treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries, and medical conditions. Athletic Trainers work in a variety of settings that include high schools, collegiate athletics, professional sports, clinics and hospitals, military settings, and performing arts among many others.

That's a lot! Athletic Trainers seem to cover a lot of different areas! Well, in my experience, Athletic Trainers do a whole lot more than just those things outlined by the NATA. 

Athletic Trainers are listeners that hear the hopes and fears of their athletes, counseling them through some of the best and worst times of their athletic careers.

Athletic Trainers are mechanics of sorts. Not just in regards to the human body, but also athletic equipment, sports apparel, and Athletic Training room supplies.

Athletic Trainers are communicators, having to keep everyone on the same page about an athlete's health. This chain of communication includes (depending on the issue) the athlete, parents, coaches, athletic director, physical therapist, and doctor.

This video from the New England Patriots gives great insight to the life and impact that Athletic Trainers have:

Obviously, not all Athletic Trainers have access to the resources, facilities, and personnel of a NFL team. I have spent the vast majority of my career in the high school setting, working with whatever I could afford on modest budgets.

I began my career working for Central Indiana Orthopedics (CIO), a physician group in Muncie, Indiana, which sent me to Blackford High School as part of their Athletic Training outreach program. I would work in the clinic during the day, then head to the high school in the evenings for practices and games. Blackford is a small high school that gave me an opportunity to be part of a community.

In the four years that I spent at Blackford, I became close with many of the athletes, parents, and administrators. My role at CIO allowed me to attend many of the athletes' physician appointments, giving both them and their parents a sense of comfort and familiarity while also ensuring that communication remained strong with everyone on the same page. This was a special time in my career where I learned significant lessons from the physicians that I worked with, while cultivating my niche in the Blackford community.

After leaving Blackford, the next three years were more rocky in nature. I was never able to find a solid fit. I moved back to Chicago during this time to find more stability. Instead, I found myself exhausted by long days of odd hours, working six days a week, and not particularly fulfilled by the work that I was doing. I was experiencing something that many Athletic Trainers struggle with: Burnout.

Feeling overworked and undervalued, many Athletic Trainers lose their passion for the profession. There are certainly some hazards that Athletic Trainers must overcome: dealing with overzealous parents, overbearing coaches, making important medical decisions daily followed by immediate scrutiny, and administrations that don't support or value the profession.

So why be an Athletic Trainer?

My answer to that is simple: To make a difference. I believe in finding a purpose in what you're doing. The last two years I've been at a high school where I can make an impact, improving the quality of care that the athletes receive. One of my greatest strengths has been relating to athletes and being a trusted resource for them. This has brought some sense of purpose back to my career, and I know there is still much work to be done.

I've also spent time looking at other areas of interest that I have within the profession of Athletic Training. If you've seen some of my other recent posts (Three Days in Singapore! and One Day in Edinburgh!), then you know I enjoy traveling. I have a particular interest in how Athletic Training translates overseas. I even wrote a blog for Athletico (a prominent Midwest Physical Therapy company) entitled: An Experience with Athletic Training in Ireland.




*pictures courtesy of Tony Uggen (Athletic Director at Blackford High School)*