Working to keep them in the game
Avera, Big Stone Therapies work together to assist schools with athletic trainers
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COTTONWOOD -- With the Lakeview football player laying on his back with his knees up along the sidelines, athletic trainer Catie Dahl went to work. She guided a knee to bend toward his body and then toward his other leg.
As the game against Canby continued, Dahl was assessing the extent of the player's injury and what to do next.
Dahl is a Cottonwood resident and her daughter is among the little cheerleaders performing during the game. But on this particular Friday night, Dahl was acting as an athletic trainer during the game.
"It's kind of like managing (the situation). How severe is the injury? Is it something we can just modify? You know, maybe wrap them so they can keep playing. Maybe mentally make them feel like we're helping out in some way to keep them in the game. Whether it's stretching, maybe wrapping or tapping. Just giving a little bit more support," Dahl said during halftime.
She works part-time with Big Stone Therapies and is contracted out by Avera Marshall Medical Center.
"It's like I would probably come to the game any ways. Now I can kind of help give back a little bit to the community," she said.
Dahl started out as a full-time employee with Big Stone Therapies in 2013. With a family to take care of, Dahl decided to work part-time. But according to Avera Marshall Vice President of operations Tracy Deutz, Dahl plays an important role on the athletic training team. Deutz explained that Avera Marshall offers athletic trainers to five southwest Minnesota schools by partnering with Big Stone Therapies. Besides Lakeview -- Marshall, Yellow Medicine East, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Minneota all receive athletic training help through Big Stone Therapies and Avera Marshall.
"We partner with the schools to share costs. The schools would have a really hard time hiring their own (athletic trainer)," Deutz said. "We kind of work with the schools. ... Usually reimburse us for about half of the cost of an athletic trainer. But they get to decide when they want them. What games are important to them. Obviously, usually it's football, your wrestling, your basketball ones where you are going to have more injuries. And then you have opportunity to work with them in the summer to do programs to help the athletes prepare for the season."
That program is called Elite Performance out of Marshall. Athletes can work with trainers on the proper mechanics for weightlifting and other skills.
According to Kirsten Verly, a certified orthopedic clinical specialist with Big Stone, there are three full-time trainers besides the part-timers like Dahl.
"Their schedules are crazy," Verly said. "But again, like Katie Dahl, she was full time with us, and then went to part-time -- PRN is what we call it. So mostly she covers events that we can't cover -- can't be in two places at once. So Lakeview and YME have a game on Friday night. A lot of times we'll give her a call and say 'hey, can you cover?' Because our full-time person's up at YME that night."
While the territory the athletic trainers cover is challenging, Verly also said they are "super passionate."
"They spend a lot of evenings and weekends watching a lot of games. So it's cool. It's cool to hear them talk about it. We've had athletic trainers travel. We've had a lot of successful sports teams in Marshall and even area schools go to state multiple times," she said.
The athletic trainers at times will travel to the state tournaments and games.
"A lot of times the schools do request that from us, which is kind of neat too, because they have that relationship," she said.
Verly says the trainers will also lead any concussion protocols that need to be followed.
"This is big component of what we do. We have a software device that we use called Impact," she said. "Basically, we want to get a baseline test for all the athletes and all the schools, so if they do have a concussion, we're able to intervene quickly, test and then get them back on the field as quick as possible."
Deutz pointed out that physicians will also attend games such as football and wrestling.
"Hopefully, they aren't needed often, but if they are, it's great to have them," Verly said.
Prep sports are not the only game in town when it comes for the need of athletic trainers. Youth sports tournaments are required to have athletic trainers on site.
"My husband works for MABA (Marshall Area Youth Baseball Association)," Deutz said. "With the state tournaments that come in (Marshall), ... You have to say that you'll have a designated athletic trainer or somebody on site to provide that service."
Verly said athletic trainer requests have been made for rugby games and pickleball tournaments.
“It’s fun working with the kids,” Dahl said. “We like sports typically, and then just helping people.”