National Athletic Training Month

Not all athletes wear jerseys.

Each March, the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) celebrates National Athletic Training Month (NATM). It's a time each year when there is an extra focus on educating everyone about the importance and value of athletic trainers.

Sports injuries can be serious and athletic trainers can save lives. They are experts in taking care of student athletes and the Cabot School District is honored to have the best of the best caring for our kids.

A huge thank you to our outstanding athletic trainers:

Jason Cates – Head Athletic Trainer
Jennifer Asberry – Assistant Athletic Trainer
Lyndsey Rich – Assistant Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine Teacher
Hollie Whittaker – Assistant Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine Teacher
 

There are 40,000 certified athletic trainers in the country. Over 70% of these healthcare professionals have terminal degrees of a Masters/Doctoral degree. Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions associated with the physical active populations.  

Athletic trainers are employed in schools and colleges/universities, but also hospitals, physician clinics, physical therapy clinics, industries, military and the performing arts. Not every athletic trainer is working with a quarterback or point guard.

Jason Cates, Head Athletic Trainer at Cabot High School says last year, emergency room insurance charges topped over $935 million dollars for athletic injuries that were seen in emergency room departments. As part of the Affordable Healthcare Act, he says, if there were athletic trainers in every high school in the country, millions of dollars could be saved by taxpayers. These unique healthcare professionals would be on site to manage the injury immediately and keep kids from have to be seen in ER's for non-life-threatening injuries.

Right now, the Cabot School District is the only district in the state to employ four athletic trainers. Our Sports Medicine Program is also nationally recognized and serves as a model to other school districts.

We are also the first school district in Arkansas and 13th school district in the country to be awarded the distinction of the NATA Safe Sport School - 1st Team.