Athletic Trainers
By ETHAN DING, ELLEN JIN, MAX MANTEL, and ARIANA THORNTON
For student-athletes at Exeter, an important concern is maintaining their physical and mental health for their sports alongside their academics. This is exactly the work of the Academy’s team of athletic trainers, led by Adam Hernandez and Katie McFadden, alongside Lissa Frankland and JP Kepka, who joined the Academy this year.
The Athletic Training Center, located in Love Gymnasium, is a hub for student-athletes where they can meet with licensed health professionals. Athletic trainers help treat orthopedic injuries, better the physical and mental conditions of all students who visit the center, and serve as mentors to the school community on the principles of staying healthy.
The center is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. After closing time, trainers supervise teams in practice. On game days, a group of trainers can be found in the stands so that they are able to swiftly respond to any problems that might arise on the field. They can also refer students to outside centers for help, particularly Atlantic Orthopaedics, a clinic serving student-athletes in Portsmouth, and Exeter Sport and Spine, a physical therapy center based in the town of Exeter.
Director of Athletics and Physical Education Jason Baseden said, “We are fortunate to have a collegiate-level athletic training program, [and] they are the standard for high school athletic training programs in the United States.”
The extent of the Athletic Trainers’ work is testament to this statement. “We work closely with the Academy’s Strength Coaches—Coach Fish and Coach Fowler, who do a fantastic job—to create injury prevention plans,” Head Athetic Trainer Adam Hernandez said. “We respond to care for emergency injuries or evaluate long-standing chronic injuries, and we work to create rehabilitation plans to get injured students better. In addition, we work with colleagues in the [Lamont Health and Wellness Center] to manage concussions and also oversee our weekly visits to Atlantic Orthopaedics as well as our weekly on-site physical therapy visits with Exeter Sport and Spine.”
Hernandez’s particular expertise includes “athletic/sports administration, concussion management, equipment management, and the care of low back injuries with manual therapies.”
He joined Exeter after exposure through a few friends. “As an undergraduate student at the University of New Hampshire, I was exposed to the independent boarding school world when a few of my classmates did a clinical rotation as student-athletic trainers here at PEA,” he said. “While I did not work here as a [college] student, I recognized that working at a place like PEA would be a special way to balance my love for working with adolescent students in healthcare with my desire to be part of an educational setting.”
Hernandez shared that his hope for the center is “that students see us as their number one champions and supporters.”
Lower Lexi Meyer, who suffered a concussion last winter, found the Athletic Training Center to be a valuable resource. “[Visiting the Athletic Training Center] helped improve my own mental health. They made it very reasonable for me to get back in season even after having such a severe injury [concussion] that lasted for over a month. Their treatment plans were all very thorough. They made sure that I wasn’t risking anything and that it was all within reason.”
In addition to physical and mental therapy, the Athletic Training Center also helps students with their diets and sleep schedules if necessary. When asked how student-athletes can stay healthy, Hernandez said, “In sports, there are many things that are out of your control as it relates to injuries; however, there are a few key things that are in your control. Those things are nutrition, sleep/rest, and load management. As we shared with students in the Sleep Assembly, sleeping less than eight hours doubles your chances for injury. We also know that student-athletes who fail to properly fuel themselves before and after exercise are more likely to have decreased performance and are also more likely to be injured.”
Baseden said, “The Athletic Trainer role is essential to all [physical education] and athletic programming. Without their support and skill set, we would not be able to function as a healthy athletic and PE program.”
Meyer agreed. “They were always available when I needed them. They are a really good resource on campus.”
“The [Athelic Training Center] staff believe the work we do with all of you is truly special,” Hernandez said. “We appreciate the trust you put in us and hope you all know how much we care for you all. Thank you all for letting us be a part of your Exeter experience.”
