Camp Confidential: A Look at Sports Medicine/Athletic Training
8/13/2018 3:30:00 PM | Football
With camp now done and out of the way, things are starting to become a little bit more routine for the sports medicine staff. By having players in town for most of the summer and with freshmen reporting for Summer Session B, a lot of the first-practice day chaos has been minimized for senior associate AD for administration Brandy Clouse and her staff. Though their schedule is all but relaxed, they get things like physicals, blood tests, concussion data and prior medical records out of the way before the first day of camp. They are also given a chance to get to know the squad's newcomers and develop a relationship before there's a need for some extended quality time.
Clouse and Jake Smith are the full-time trainers on football. They utilize the work of five full-time graduate assistants and students throughout the year, while also adding student trainers to get through preseason camp. Responsible for not only attacking their own duties during camp, they also are relied on for providing pivotal information to the athletics communications office, as well as the NCAA, doctors' offices, strength and conditioning staff and coaches.
Once the players reported, the staff has a chance to go through all the information they have gathered and figure out who is ready to go and what players are ready for what level of action.
Days begin for the training staff around 5:30 a.m. They get in early to begin doing treatment on the players. Fortunately for them, the NCAA does not allow the grueling two-a-days, so that allows the sports medicine staff a slower afternoon on most days. Very appreciative of this, it also gives Clouse and her staff a chance to get some paperwork done and plan things out in a relaxed setting, while the players and coaches are busy with meetings and lifting.
After performing some more treatments and taping, the staff heads out to practice, which is now in the afternoon with school in session. While Clouse and the other full-timers oversee the practice, the GAs and student assistants are spread throughout the different position groups and stations.
Wanting to make sure all the athletes stay healthy and hydrated, the staff requires the players to weigh in before and after practice to monitor weight loss, which can be caused by things like dehydration. Before the players ice down and hit the cold tubs after they practice, they get greeted by the staff with Powerade and sometimes popsicles in effort to cool down both the inside and outside of the body.
The staff will have have three to four sessions of treatment a day and one session of rehab after practice during camp, but that schedule has been modified with players now also attending classes. Now, they can come in at 6 a.m. for rehab and will also do treatment before and after practice.
Usually heading home late in the evening, the staff uses time after practice to prepare for the next day. One trainer also always sticks around until the players are done with meetings in case anything happens or any of them need further attention.
In an effort to always stay ahead of the curve, Clouse and her staff are again implementing the helmet study and are always researching about things like concussions, heat-related illnesses and MRSA [a bacteria that causes infection]. She is constantly preaching about the importance of taking care of one's body and communication. With mental health on a lot of people's minds, Dr. Brandonn Harris has joined the team as the sport psychologist and will be a valuable asset to the program.
Whether players are out for the year, curious for knowledge or just looking to stay at the top of their games, they get top care and attention from Brandy Clouse and her staff, who ensure that for all Georgia Southern student-athletes who enter the Ted Smith Family Football Center Athletic Training Facility.
Georgia Southern Preseason Football Schedule
Date (Time, Location)
Tues., Aug. 14 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Wed., Aug. 15 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Thurs., Aug. 16 (4:30-6:30 PM; Eagle Creek)
Fri., Aug. 17 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson - Scrimmage #2)
Sat., Aug. 18 (TBD, TBD)
Sun., Aug. 19 (7 PM, Paulson)
Mon., Aug. 20 No Practice
Tues., Aug. 21 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Wed., Aug. 22 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Thurs., Aug. 23 (4:30-6:30 PM; Paulson)
Fri., Aug. 24 (6-8 PM, Fan Fest to follow, GS Armstrong Campus - Savannah)
Sat., Aug. 25 (TBD, TBD)
Times and locations subject to change
