Deaths spark athletic review

Several Orange County Schools may have to change their policies concerning athletic trainers in order to comply with a law proposed in the wake of deaths like that of Chapel Hill High School student Atlas Fraley.

We've had three very unfortunate and possibly preventable deaths here in the state of North Carolina in the last six weeks"" said Kevin Guskiewicz, chairman of UNC's Department of Exercise and Sports Science.

Fraley died in August after complaining of headaches and body cramps following a football scrimmage.

Matt Gfeller of R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston Salem, and Jaquan Waller of J.H. Rose High School in Greenville also died after football-related incidents this year.

Last week, Guskiewicz and Frederick Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research and a UNC professor, put forth a proposal to the N.C. High School Athletic Association that would require high schools in the state to hire a full-time certified athletic trainer.

Mueller and Guskiewicz say that schools should require a nationally certified trainer who doesn't have classroom responsibilities.

The problem is most of the trainers are full-time teachers"" Mueller said.

Stephanie Knott, spokeswoman for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, said there is someone at each of the district's high schools with the responsibility of an athletic trainer.

Chapel Hill High School and East Chapel Hill High School have certified athletic trainers on campus, Knott said.

But Chapel Hill High's athletic trainer, Ben Reed, doubles as a teacher at the school during the day. Officials at East Chapel Hill High could not be reached for comment.

Carrboro High School has a third-level first responder who responds when emergency services are needed but does not work full-time, Knott said.

Donna Williams, director of student services for the Orange County Schools superintendent office, said both Orange High School and Cedar Ridge High School have an athletic trainer, but they are not nationally certified.

Guskiewicz, however, said that an athletic trainer who is not certified is not qualified for the position.

In my opinion" it's an inappropriate title that they are claiming to hold and very misleading when they don't have the proper credentials" he said.

While many faculty members see good intentions with hiring trainers who are not full-time teachers, they argue that a teacher who doubles as an athletic trainer is more practical.

They don't have anything to do during the day"" said Jim King, a teacher and athletic trainer at Orange High. They'd be twiddling their thumbs.""

King teaches sports medicine and physical education at Orange High. He says interaction with the students and the instruction of the material is a good sharpener for his trainer skills.

""At the high school level" I don't know if we're going to see them be able to afford something like that" he said.

Nationwide, the starting pay for the job is $35,000 to $40,000 a year, Guskiewicz said. If the Athletic Association adopts the recommendations, board members will push for the legislation to allow for some state funding to pay for salaries, Guskiewicz said.

But if schools are unable to appropriate funds for a full-time athletic trainer, seven high-contact sports may have to be removed from the schools' roster.

It may come to that"" Guskiewicz said. They may be forced to discontinue those high-risk sports.""

April Ross" athletic director at Carrboro High" says the problem is not that trainers are part-time.

""We've had a certified trainer in the past"" she said. Our current person is doing a fantastic job however our situation is that it's part-time.""

The school system is investigating Fraley's case. When Fraley called emergency services" he complained of dehydration.

However" Hayes doesn't think Reed's dual responsibilities affected his ability to help Fraley.

 ""As far as I'm concerned"" Mr. Reed did everything he could that day.""



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