August 29, 2013

Vanderbilt Partners with TSSAA to provide sports medicine coverage at all championship games

Vanderbilt Athletic Trainer Michelle Johnson ices the ankle of a baseball player at Overton High School. Photo by Joe Howell.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) has partnered with Vanderbilt Sports Medicine and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to provide sports medicine coverage at all championship games.

Under the agreement, Vanderbilt be the official sports medicine provider and will supply certified athletic trainers and on-site medical support at all state high school championship sporting events throughout Tennessee with more than 10,000 student athletes participating.

Certified athletic trainers, denoted with the credentials ATC, are health care professionals whose services include prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of physical injuries.

“Vanderbilt Sports Medicine has a long history of keeping young athletes fit, healthy and off the sidelines, and we’re excited to extend our services to all Tennessee athletes participating in these championship events,” said Mitch Bellamy, A.T.C., assistant director of Sports Medicine.

Athletic trainers employed by Vanderbilt Sports Medicine are stationed at every public high school in Davidson and Williamson counties and some private schools—28 in all—across Middle Tennessee.  They also provide sports medicine coverage to various youth leagues and other organized sporting events and tournaments throughout Davidson and Williamson counties.

“Less than half of the high schools in the U.S. have athletic trainers, and we’re fortunate that Vanderbilt is able to provide this community support,” Bellamy said. “Today’s kids are all bigger, stronger and faster, and the collisions are more violent. There’s no question we’re seeing more injuries and trained medical professionals are needed on the sidelines to manage those injuries.”

“High school athletes have come to depend on the high-quality athletic assistance that Vanderbilt Sports Medicine trainers provide on the scene and throughout the season, and we appreciate/value the support Vanderbilt Sports Medicine has provided these student athletes,” said TSSAA Executive Director, Bernard Childress.  “We want parents and athletes to realize they’ve got the best medical partner in Vanderbilt Sports Medicine, and how integral these trainers are to our athletic teams.”

The TSSAA administers the junior and senior high school athletic program for an estimated:

  • 400 high schools and 372 middle schools
  • 5,500 teams across the state
  • 109 team state champions crowned
  • 73 individual state champions crowned
  • 200,000 plus spectators at TSSAA State Championship events
  • 4 million spectators at TSSAA playoff events
  • 110,000 participating athletes
  • 1,400 principals and athletic directors
  •  6,000 coaches
  • 6,027 officials