Since its inception a few years back, CHS sports medicine has participated in the sports medicine competition hosted by St. Francis High School in La Cañada, California. Institutions from across the west coast and midwest converge to showcase their abilities, yet the focus is on three exceptional individuals each year, as this event also features […]
Since its inception a few years back, CHS sports medicine has participated in the sports medicine competition hosted by St. Francis High School in La Cañada, California. Institutions from across the west coast and midwest converge to showcase their abilities, yet the focus is on three exceptional individuals each year, as this event also features the ‘student athletic trainer of the year’ competition. Students from all participating schools enter, and for the last two years, CHS students have successfully advanced.
To begin, students are required to submit a personal essay outlining how their experiences as a student athletic trainer have contributed to their personal development, alongside a scientific article and photographs of two taping procedures conducted for specific injuries, detailing the impacts of those treatments. The sports medicine instructor then selects the top student from their class to be submitted to the judges at the National Athletic Training Association for evaluation. The top three are subsequently identified.
In the previous year, Senior Juleyka Andino secured first place in the competition. She faced not only the standard competition, which included a multiple-choice examination followed by a practical segment, but also had to prepare and deliver a speech along with a PowerPoint presentation on a sports medicine subject of her choosing to an audience of spectators and three judges. “For the presentation, I just needed to select a topic in sports medicine that piqued my interest and create a PowerPoint about it,” stated Andino, “The subject I chose was debatable methods to manage pain and injuries, concentrating on two innovative treatments and their outcomes.” The judges’ feedback from her presentation was combined with her examination scores, resulting in her first-place ranking.
This year, CHS boasts several potential contenders currently enrolled in the advanced sports medicine course. “My advice to the next competitor would be to select a topic they are passionate about and to think creatively,” advised Andino, “My topic was fresh and not widely known, which captivated interest once they started learning about it, and I believe that aspect significantly aided me throughout the competition.”
One thing is clear: CHS sports medicine is establishing a significant presence across various competitions, and this success is fostering the program’s growth. There’s no question that these competitions will be consistently attended and triumphed over in the future by the emerging champions of CHS.
