Trainers a valuable asset to local teams

By Jeff Birchfield
STAR STAFF
jbirchfield@starhq.com

   Athletic trainers provide a valuable service to local teams, many times helping an injured athlete back to the playing surface much quicker than in years past. For the trainer, it's a labor of love.
   "It's a great job, I love it," said Milligan College athletic trainer Erica Roggie. "I've always been involved in sports and headed off the pre-med path to pursue a career in this. It's the perfect mix between sports and medicine."
   For the coaches, they're thankful such good care is given to their players.
   "That person is invaluable," said Happy Valley head football coach Stan Ogg about a team's athletic trainer. "In the old days, the coaches taped ankles. We would tape kids from head to toe. Things have changed where sports medicine is so prevalent.
   "I think the bottom line is they know their business. I can't diagnose what is wrong with a player and wouldn't want to. The trainers are staffed better than coaches and they put in the hours in football, basketball and baseball. They work on people during nights of the game and in the mornings afterwards."
   Trainers see a whole range of injuries on the sidelines from minor cuts to serious matters. Roggie explained that she's seen injuries that a Band-Aid will cure to those that have required the use of a spinal board.
   Coach Ogg has even witnessed procedures on the sidelines to heal wounds.
   "At a game time situation I've seen glue and staples done on a laceration," commented Ogg. "The trainers can get it fixed up where they're playable, but they still have a player's safety in mind. I've been fortunate to have had physicians on the sidelines that can make the final decision if a player can go back in a game."
   The trainers, who must go through an accredited program like Roggie did at Houghton College in New York, quickly find out a person's mental state is as important as healing the physical ailment.
   "Half of all injuries are psychological," Roggie stated. "The main part is the primary care. You have to get them off the field or court to test them better. The emotional state is a big part of our care."
   At Milligan, soccer is the one sport that tends to have the highest number of injuries.
   "Soccer definitely has the most injuries, a lot of knees and ankles," said Roggie. "I worked at Pikeville College before coming to Milligan and worked with the football team. There's more shoulder injuries in football, but football and soccer have the same type of injuries, torn ligaments that take a long time to heal.
   "Ankles and knees are more common with basketball. More ankle injuries occur with a player landing on someone else's feet. We have seen our share of shoulder injuries and concussions with basketball too."
   Injuries aren't necessarily more common to a certain gender according to the Milligan trainer.
   "It depends on the team," said Roggie. "Some years, it's more male, others it's more female. Girls tend to come in quicker. Guys usually try to be too manly to talk about an injury, but there are some guys who live in the training room."
   Coach Ogg worked with athletic trainers at Greeneville and David Crockett prior to coming back to Happy Valley. He expressed a desire for the position to be mandatory statewide.
   "I wish somehow all the schools in the state were staffed with trainers," said Ogg.
   "Most of the city schools in Knoxville and Nashville have them. It's almost like funding a teacher. You have to pay to have them there.
   "That's part of the finances going on with the state. I would like to see the state of Tennessee step in and put in those positions. Athletics are a big part of the high school scene."
   Happy Valley has worked with Appalachian Orthopedics the past four seasons. Cary Targett is the trainer assigned to the football program. Like Ogg, she would like to see the state increase the trainer's role in the high schools.
   "At Happy Valley with the football program, you don't develop the same type of relationship like I did working with Milligan College," said Targett. "I would like to be there all the time ideally instead of just Friday nights. That way you gain more trust with the players and their parents, but for so many schools funding is an issue."
   Roggie, like Targett, isn't directly employed by the school she services. She works as a representative of Watauga Orthopedics and bruised athletes are often sent to Dr. Defroy and Dr. Fowler on the Watauga staff for rehabilitation.
   Both trainers said that coaches have been cooperative when they give advice on an athlete's condition to play. For his part Ogg knows working with the trainers is actually more beneficial to his team's numbers over the course of a season.
   "In a sport you always have someone banged up," said Ogg. "The only way to get a kid on the field is rehab. As a coach, they help you keep the ship afloat. Nowadays kids are sometimes able to play football with casts on because the trainers know how to pad the casts."
   From both competitive and a practical standpoint, having medical personnel on the sidelines makes sense.
   "They've retaped something and fixed helmets on the sidelines, which allows us to concentrate on the game. One of the biggest benefits is that the emergency room on Friday night is a busy place. They've been able to expedite paperwork. It helps with a broken hand or ankle, where you're not waiting at the hospital all night. It can be a long night for the family if someone is hurt at an athletic event."
   Roggie's background helps her understand a player's frustration with injuries. It also creates a common bond with those she helps.
   "I played track, volleyball and soccer in high school and I played college soccer," said Roggie. "I gave up soccer to be a trainer. The mentality of an athlete suits me well. They're a fun group to be around."