Dawson High School Receives National Athletic Trainers’ Association Safe Sports School Award
Program recognizes high schools that prioritize keeping young athletes safe
Houston, Texas, October 27, 2022 – Dawson High School is a renewal recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School award for its athletic training program for the 3rd consecutive. 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. Dawson High School is also a recipient of the NATA Safe Sport School Grant. This grant aids in the financial burden of receiving this 1st team honor and more.
“Dawson High School Sports Medicine is honored to receive this 1st Team recognition from NATA,” said Class of 2012 Alumni of Dawson High School and now Current Head Athletic Trainer, Christina Fry, MS, LAT, ATC. “Dawson High School is committed to keeping our student athletes safe during physical education classes, team practices, and games as it has been a standard of ours instilled in us by my mentor and the people before me. Our priority is to allow athletes to accomplish their own goals of great competition, winning records, fair sportsmanship, in good health and safe surroundings. Our goal is to lead our athletics program to the highest safety standards for our players and performing gold standard of medical care for all our student athletes.”
“The health and safety of student athletes is critical as it has both immediate and long-term effects,” said NATA President Kathy Dieringer, EdD, LAT, ATC. “The National Athletic Trainers’ Association created the ‘Safe Sports School Award’ to recognize and champion schools nationwide that are committed to safety in sports. We are proud to see the list of award recipients grow exponentially each year as schools see the immense value in holding themselves to best practices and policies that ensure a high standard of athlete care.”
In order to achieve Safe Sports School status, as Dawson High School did, athletic programs must do the following:
- Create a positive athletic health care administrative system
- Provide or coordinate pre-participation physical examinations
- Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
- Plan for selection, fit function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
- Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
- Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
- Provide or facilitate injury intervention
- Create and rehearse a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan
- Provide or facilitate psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
- Be sure athletes and parents are educated about the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities
To apply, schools complete an in-depth questionnaire that assesses adherence to best practice standards and recommendations. For more information about the Safe Sports School Award, please visit www.athletictrainers.org.