FWCD Receives National Athletic Trainers’ Association Safe Sports School Award

FWCD’s Athletic Department earned the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School Award — 1st Team for the third consecutive period. FWCD was the first Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) school to earn this recognition when the award was first designated in 2014 and has earned the award every cycle since.

The FWCD Athletic Training Team comprises Ed Chisholm, Stacy Borne Walsh ’02 and Katie Jordan ’09.  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. FWCD is designated a SAFE Sports School through March 2024.

"We're very proud of our exceptional sports medicine program and our dedicated athletic trainers,” said incoming Athletic Director Leigh Block. “This award is well-deserved, and we're grateful for their efforts to keep our student-athletes safe.”

On behalf of the Athletic Training Team, Chisholm said, “We are very excited to receive this tangible award as evidence recognizing the outstanding service and support that we provide our student-athletes daily. I feel so fortunate to work at such a great school that recognizes our importance and provides us with all the resources we need to care for student-athletes.”

Athletic programs achieve Safe Sports School status, through the following: 

• Creating a positive athletic health care administrative system
• Providing or coordinating pre-participation physical examinations
• Promoting safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
• Planning for selection, fit function, and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
• Providing a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
• Developing injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
• Providing or facilitating injury intervention
• Creating and rehearsing a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan
• Providing or facilitating psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
• Ensuring athletes and parents are educated about the potential benefits and risks in sports, as well as their responsibilities

About NATA: National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) — Health Care for Life & Sport

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 45,000 members of the athletic training profession. For more information, visit nata.org. At Your Own Risk is NATA’s public awareness campaign designed to educate, provide resources, and equip the public to act and advocate for safety in work, life, and sport. To provide comprehensive information, the association has launched a website that provides recommendations on keeping student-athletes and communities active and employees safe on the job. Visit AtYourOwnRisk.org.