Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Jake Hutchinson
Athletics Spotlight: Athletic Trainers Lauded for Work During Pandemic Year
3.31.21 | General
It goes without saying that the logistical challenges that stood in the way of a smooth 2020-2021 NCAA Season for all sports was daunting. The return to competition could not have happened if it were not for Temple University's Athletic Trainers.
Over the summer of 2020, athletic departments across the nation were tasked with planning out a safe way to return student-athletes to campus and give them the ability to compete at their sport. Athletic Trainers were at the center of this.
Kevin Addison, the Associate Director of Athletic Training explained the challenge of the summer planning in saying, "It was a lot of meetings, a lot back and forth. We had to follow national and city guidelines."
The University had to draft a plan for a safe return and submit it to the City of Philadelphia to get approval for athletes to return to practice. "We had to think about everything that we would normally do, and then identify how we could do it effectively along with conveying it to our student-athletes" said Addison.
Women's Soccer Captain Julia Ryan explained the role of the Athletic Trainer in saying, "they have played such a big role in allowing us to have a season and we cannot thank them enough for that." Ryan also explained that the Athletic Trainers allowed them to successfully follow city guidelines and stay safe while adding much needed support and positivity.
The schedule in which student-athletes return to campus proved beneficial for the return to campus plan. "We were able to bring student-athletes back in small groups over the summer, so it was a lot easier to bring back 20-30 and get them caught up then in another week bring another 20-30" said Addison. "It was once Crew came back to campus that we reached 300 athletes back on campus, so we had to begin a rollout of mass testing."
Testing was a daunting task for the athletic department as the trainers had to individually print out the labels for the athlete's test, schedule with athletes, and then once test were complete go into the electronic medical record system and individually check athletes' results.
While practicing was a major accomplishment, the difficulty posed by traveling for competition while remaining in compliance with protocols was a different mountain to climb.
"Once the schedules were available, we had to put together a single calendar so that we could see what dates we would have athletic training and testing protocol issues" said Addison. This is the first time that most college sports have been competing during one semester.
Cross Country runner, Sean Egan added "They have been diligent with testing which brings some peace of mind when we are traveling."
With spring semester competition well under way in a safe manner, Athletic Trainers remain yet another example of selfless individuals who have made sacrifice to keep others safe. The entire Temple Athletics community is grateful for the work of all Athletic Trainers, coaches and healthcare professionals that have made this season possible.
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Over the summer of 2020, athletic departments across the nation were tasked with planning out a safe way to return student-athletes to campus and give them the ability to compete at their sport. Athletic Trainers were at the center of this.
Kevin Addison, the Associate Director of Athletic Training explained the challenge of the summer planning in saying, "It was a lot of meetings, a lot back and forth. We had to follow national and city guidelines."
The University had to draft a plan for a safe return and submit it to the City of Philadelphia to get approval for athletes to return to practice. "We had to think about everything that we would normally do, and then identify how we could do it effectively along with conveying it to our student-athletes" said Addison.
Women's Soccer Captain Julia Ryan explained the role of the Athletic Trainer in saying, "they have played such a big role in allowing us to have a season and we cannot thank them enough for that." Ryan also explained that the Athletic Trainers allowed them to successfully follow city guidelines and stay safe while adding much needed support and positivity.
The schedule in which student-athletes return to campus proved beneficial for the return to campus plan. "We were able to bring student-athletes back in small groups over the summer, so it was a lot easier to bring back 20-30 and get them caught up then in another week bring another 20-30" said Addison. "It was once Crew came back to campus that we reached 300 athletes back on campus, so we had to begin a rollout of mass testing."
Testing was a daunting task for the athletic department as the trainers had to individually print out the labels for the athlete's test, schedule with athletes, and then once test were complete go into the electronic medical record system and individually check athletes' results.
While practicing was a major accomplishment, the difficulty posed by traveling for competition while remaining in compliance with protocols was a different mountain to climb.
"Once the schedules were available, we had to put together a single calendar so that we could see what dates we would have athletic training and testing protocol issues" said Addison. This is the first time that most college sports have been competing during one semester.
Cross Country runner, Sean Egan added "They have been diligent with testing which brings some peace of mind when we are traveling."
With spring semester competition well under way in a safe manner, Athletic Trainers remain yet another example of selfless individuals who have made sacrifice to keep others safe. The entire Temple Athletics community is grateful for the work of all Athletic Trainers, coaches and healthcare professionals that have made this season possible.
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