Athletes begin their spring sports seasons

by Ashley Strain Sports Editor

On January 2, 2023, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a rare critical injury in the Bills’ Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin experienced a condition called Commotio Cordis, in which a player is struck above their heart during a specific, vulnerable window in the heartbeat cycle, stopping one’s heartbeat and leading to cardiac arrest.

The incident shocked tuned-in viewers across the nation as fans held their breath that Hamlin would recover. Thanks to the Bill’s medical team and their immediate response to the player’s collapse, Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field and he was taken to recover in a local Cincinnati hospital.

Athletes in contact sports put their safety and life at risk for their games, attempting to perform at the highest level each week to push their team to the top of the standings. When an athlete goes down during a game due to injury, the focus shifts from those playing on the field to those working on the sidelines: the medical staff.

“There’s no difference between a pro-athlete and a high school athlete or a middle school athlete. They all have the same issues,” said NDB Athletic Trainer Laz Cardenas. “They all get injured. There’s high incidences of heart issues, circulation issues, and kids just collapse. And if you don’t have somebody that’s prepared to deal with that situation, it can lead to death.”

The NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and other elite professional sports leagues all support their athletes from the sidelines with fully equipped medical teams, ready to treat any athlete injury that may occur during the course of a game. Teams rely on their medical staff to help prevent injuries and restore injured players to good health as quickly as possible.

Recently, NFL’s medical teams have taken the spotlight as the league has seen several more major injuries take place during recent games. Each NFL team has at least 30 medical professionals on the field at a time during a game, according to the National Football League Physicians Society. These professionals include athletic trainers, neurotrauma professionals, orthopedists and a paramedic crew, among others. This team is trained in assessing and attending to any medical emergency that has potential to take place on the field, and supports the player in prioritizing health over a game.

The medical staff and the coaching staff for NFL teams are arguably of the same importance, however there are great pay discrepancies between them. While head coaches in the NFL are making millions of dollars annually, a medical staff member will make around 50,000 dollars a year. When a player suffers an injury, their current health and sometimes the future of their career lies in the hands of the attending medical team, so why aren’t these staff members paid more?

“For some reason, they just don’t equate. We’re just not as important, even though on Monday Night Football, an assistant athletic prevented somebody from dying,” said Cardenas. [It] was the assistant athletic trainer that started the CPR and started the process, the management of that athlete, and that athlete’s still alive. We’re trained to do that and to feel like we’re not important because they won’t pay us is ridiculous. We’re constantly fighting that battle.”

As we applaud and honor professional athletes for their mastery of skills on the field and coaching staff for their great direction, it is important to also recognize the medical staff of such teams. A player would not be able to succeed without the guidance of a coach and mentor, but the same can be said without the physical support of a medical team.

As winter comes to an end, we welcome the season of spring sports. NDB offers a total of five spring sports, excluding cheer and pom, which are year-round sports. These five sports include beach volleyball, lacrosse, softball, swim and track and field. Although basketball and soccer are still in season and transitioning into the playoffs, the new sports began tryouts on January 30.

Spring athletes were required to complete 20 weight room sessions before tryouts. Weight Room Supervisor Coach Kate Mahoney holds daily weight sessions for each sport, along with drop-ins for off-season athletes. These sessions range from about 30 to 45 minutes long with three sets of workouts. The pre-season weight workouts allow the student-athletes to maintain strength and flexibility, while also increasing their agility and overall stamina.

Due to the spring sports beginning, the weight room has become crowded with all five sports doing drop-in sessions.

“The weight room gets much busier once the spring season hits,” said Mahoney. “Fall and spring are the seasons with the most sports so there is a major increase in teams and athletes in the weight room compared to the winter season,” said Mahoney. With the increase in sports, comes the increase in injuries. NDB’s athletic trainer, Laz Cardenas has already received many visits from injured athletes since the start of tryouts. To handle the large influx of spring sport athletes, the NDB Sports Medicine department sends out multiple emails six to eight weeks prior to the tryout date to get an accurate estimate of the athletes trying out.

“Because of the volume of athletes that are participating, my workload will increase accordingly,” Cardenas commented. “I am responsible for providing medical coverage for both home and visiting teams at every home contest. It is my job to ensure the safety of the athletes and contest.”

Junior Cailin Thompson is an active spring athlete and looks forward to her track and field season. She said the team is looking very well rounded. Thompson is currently a member of the varsity soccer team, but will transition to track in a few weeks. She will run the 100 and 200 meters, and the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

“After soccer season, track is a time where I can focus on my own development. I am super excited for this season because I was able to recruit a few people to join the team who I think will be big assets,” Thompson shared. The spring season is arguably the busiest for the NDB Athletic Department, due to there being five sports. The teams will begin practice, as they prepare for the seasons ahead.