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Game Changers: Athletic Trainers Keep Student Athletes Safe, Healthy and Supported
Game Changers
Athletic Trainers Keep Student Athletes Safe, Healthy and Supported
Through athletics, students learn the value of teamwork, competition and hard work, as well as how to deal with failure and adversity. Our dedicated athletic trainers — Mr. Ken Kuberski, Ms. Amanda McCombs and Dr. Mary Barron ’95 — put in long hours to help safeguard the physical well-being and competitive spirit of student athletes at Paul VI.
Meet the Trainers
Ken Kuberski has been at PVI for over 30 years and currently serves in two roles: Associate Director of Athletics and Head Athletic Trainer. He graduated from James Madison University.
Amanda McCombs joined the PVI staff in 2020 as a full-time Athletic Trainer. She graduated from George Mason University.
Mary Barron ’95 works part-time at PVI; she returned to PVI in 2013 as an Athletic Trainer. She is a full-time associate professor at George Washington University. Barron attended Longwood College (now Longwood University) where she continued her athletic career as a Lady Lancer Women’s Basketball player. She continued her education at Michigan State University.
What is a typical day like for our athletic trainers?
According to the athletic trainers, there is no typical day! Every day and every season is different.
Whether teams leave early for away games or have home games in the afternoon, the athletic trainers prepare and make sure they are ready to compete. This may consist of diagnosing injuries, performing vital on-field/court/mat injury evaluations and immediate first aid care, or rehabilitating injuries
The athletic trainers help evaluate whether an athlete is ready to compete or practice or if they need more time to recover.
High Traffic Area
By design, Paul VI has a bigger athletic training room than many schools in the area. The space is where the athletic trainers evaluate and rehabilitate injuries. The athletic training room is outfitted with treatment tables, taping stations, exercise and rehabilitative equipment, and a hydration and cooling tub to help with heat related issues.
Students can visit the athletic training room by appointment as early as 1:30 p.m., with 3 p.m. being the busiest time of day. After the bell rings, the athletic trainers help students get ready for practice or games. On average, the athletic trainers can see between 10-15 students leaving for an away game and another 20-30 students after school. On a very busy day, they can see up to 50-60 students after school! In a year, they go through about 80 cases (over 2,500 rolls) of athletic tape.
Around 4:30 p.m. and into the evening, the athletic trainers attend all home games, where they observe on the sidelines, looking out for potential injuries, ready to step in and address any emergencies for either team.
There are often competitions on Saturdays so the trainers frequently work during the weekend as well.
Lifelong Learners
Athletic trainers have to recertify every two years, which includes taking courses and having 50 hours of contact time. They also train on their emergency action plans every season, including what to do in the event of a spinal cord injury.
In the summer of 2023, Paul VI hosted a training for athletic staff from around the Diocese that covered best practice for preventing and treating exertional heat illness (EHI). PVI also recently acquired a Kestrel device, which measures things like temperature, atmospheric pressure and wind speed to calculate whether conditions could be unsafe for athletic activity.
The athletic trainers and school nurses work hand-in-hand to safeguard the health and wellness of the PVI student body. “The athletic trainers and clinic [see page 16] are in communication every day,” according to Kuberski.
From injury prevention to rehabilitation, our athletic trainers work tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain an environment where athletes can stay on track, compete safely, and reach their full potential.
In their own words
I like the interactions with the student athletes. I can see students at their worst, when they are at their most upset and frustrated. I value being able to comfort them during that period and then working with them to get them back to practice and competition.
An athlete can panic. I stay calm at the scene, cool-headed. We take 10 minutes to calm down — and it’s often not as bad as they think it’s going to be. After an injury, the biggest reward is helping students get to the day that they ‘graduate’ back to playing.
— Ken Kuberski
Being an integral part of the PVI community, I am able to help the student-athletes ‘Grow in Grace and Wisdom’ as they pursue their athletic endeavors. As a graduate, I am honored to give back to the school that helped shape me into the person I am today.
— Mary Barron ’95
One of the best things about being an athletic trainer are the relationships and the rapport that are built with the athletes. As important as an injury is to deal with, listening to an athlete tell me about their day or having an athlete ask for advice can be just as vital to show them that we care not only about their injury but we care about them as a person. Being an athletic trainer is not just about dealing with injuries, we have to be prepared for anything and everything!
