June 2021 - 4

EDITORIAL between the lines
thank you
ATHLETIC TRAINERS
By Wesley Sykes, Managing Editor
Since midway through 2020, we've looked at our healthcare
workers in a different light. Doctors, nurses, first responders,
hospice care workers - all of whom work in high-stress
situations on a daily basis - were pushed to their limits with the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead of envisioning them with a white lab coat, as of late,
they're seen instead draped with a cape worthy of the planet's
mightiest heroes. Flying head-first to serve on the frontlines
against a foe with so many unknowns, these people put their
health and livelihood on the line to do what they've been trained
to do - deliver care and services to this sick and ailing.
And while the sports world pressed pause to concentrate
resources on tending to effects of the pandemic, athletic
trainers and sports medicine professionals were not idly
watching the events unfold. As the frontline healthcare workers
in the athletic arena, the scenery may have changed but the
game was still the same.
Across the country over the last year or so we've read
countless stories about athletic trainers aiding their local
hospitals to deal with the overflow of COVID patients. And when
schools began re-opening, administrations looked to its athletic
trainers to help build a comprehensive return-to-play plan that
aligned with local, state, and federal guidelines.
Often in the background, or, in this case, on the sidelines,
of a team or student-athlete's success, the athletic trainer is a
difference-maker for every athletic department.
And it's with that in mind that our sister publication, Training
& Conditioning, is proud to share its ninth annual Most
Valuable Athletic Trainer of the Year award received the most
nominations in the history of the award.
The award received more than 200 nominations for worthy
high school athletic trainers ranging from Alaska and Hawaii to
Maine and Florida, and whittling the list down to a single winner
has been a difficult task. And, sure, the recognition of one's
hard work on a national level is amazing, but for those that just
missed out, it's not a repeal of what you've accomplished. The
acknowledgement that means most should be those with whom
you interact on a daily basis - your student-athletes and their
families, your coaches, your administrators, and your fellow
community members.
Training & Conditioning is proud to announce Ashley
Labrador, the athletic trainer at Brien McMahon High School in
Norwalk, CT, as its 2021 Most Valuable Athletic Trainer of the
Year recipient. We, at Coach & Athletic Director, understand the
important role athletic trainers play in keeping players playing
at the best. And with our 'Player Health & Safety' issue, we have
compiled a variety of stories as we aim to help ADs and ATCs do
just that.
Thank you to all the athletic trainers for all that you've done
and continue to do!
4 JUNE 2021
GROUP PUBLISHER
PUBLISHER
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Wesley Sykes, 616-520-2149
CADedit@coachad.com
Joe Tacosik, 616-520-2176
jtacosik@greatamericanpublish.com
ADVERTISING SALES
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
TOM BASS, Former NFL Assistant, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
& San Diego Chargers * DR. DAVID HOCH, Retired Athletic Director, Baltimore
County, MD * ABE WEHMILLER, Director of Athletics, Charlotte Country Day
School, Charlotte, NC * ALAN STEIN, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach,
Nike Elite DeMatha Catholic High School, MD * PETE KITTEL, Principal, Brillion
High School, WI * DARREN FENSTER, Minor League Manager, Boston Red Sox
& Founder/CEO, Coaching Your Kids, LLC, Neptune, NJ * JOSH HILS, Soccer
Coach, Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, NH * DR. BRANDEN LIPPY, Athletic
Director, Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Lancaster, PA
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June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2021
