SLU AT Students Appreciate the Support of Preceptor and Student-Athletes at Bishop DuBourg HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Bishop DuBourg
By:  CJ Butler (SLU MAT Class of 2018) and Justin Ullom (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Compared to the fall season, Bishop DuBourg High School does not have as many winter sports, so there are not as many events during the winter season. However, this allowed us to form an close relationship with our preceptor Nathan Jarman ATC, from SSM-SLU Hospital, the athletes participating in sports.

These relationships we formed seemed to help make any evaluations and rehabilitation programs we did go much smoother, as we were able to build trusting relationships with the individuals on the teams. There were no significant injuries during the season, luckily, so most tasks that were completed were simply helping with chronic pain issues and muscular fatigue injuries often associated with the end of the season in any sport.

We also were able to work with the girls soccer team in their off-season development in order to prepare them for the eminent season. We spent weeks working on their cardiovascular endurance and their form for various lifts before we eventually progressed into working sprints and letting them lift with weight. Prior to tryouts for the season starting, we were able to get in about two good weeks of strength training to those players that were showing up.

As tryouts for spring sports have started, we are now beginning to work with the boys basketball team with a strength training program. It will be interesting to see if they can make the same amount of progress that the girls team did. We look forward to working with a more variety of sports this spring, as well as helping out with strength training programs for any off-season teams.

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Athletic Training students featuring their clinical site and their preceptors. The number, quality and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU AT Program.