Coffee County sports have been seemingly plagued with the “injury bug.” The “injury bug” is when a team has several injuries within the season. Unfortunately for the raiders, this has afflicted the majority of our fall sports. From football players to cross country runners, athletes have been flooding into Jason Sanders’s office, the Raider’s athletic trainer.
Sanders is a certified athletic trainer and is sponsored by Star physical therapy. Sanders went to school at MTSU and has been working at Coffee County Central High School for 10 years. While athletic training is never a boring job, Sanders says this year specifically has been “chaotic.”
Sanders took time to acknowledge what makes his job worth it, even in the chaos of fall sports, “Seeing hurt athletes return to playing.”
Luckily, changes are being made to make the office a little less stressful. These changes include: having a sign in sheet and athletes going through their coaches before coming to the office.
Several athletes and coaches say that Sanders is the reason our sports teams can exist. Basketball player Channah Gannon says, “Lifesaver is an understatement! He has been amazing in helping me with all these ankle sprains, shoulder problems, and especially all of the taping, icing, cupping, and scraping. He has always provided the best care and exercises to help me recover. I’m so grateful for his expertise!”
Red Raider senior and lineman, Javon Simmons, has faced a multitude of injuries this year including a hematoma on his shin, a shoulder injury, a concussion, and a damaged meniscus. Simmons says, “Jason has helped me with all my problems and has helped me with all the injuries while keeping me laughing”.
The Lady Raider soccer team has also spent their share of time in the trainers room. One of the “frequent flyers” is Lilly Matherne. Matherne has struggled with ankle, knee, and hip injuries.
She talks about her time in the trainer’s office and Sanders by saying, “Jason is an amazing person. Being injured sucks, but Jason makes it to where you can get back on the field or court as soon as possible. Jason’s technique for helping athletes helps tremendously and he has the best interest for you, and he will make the right decision for you and your body to heal. Even though Jason is always busy and always has a full room, he always makes time for every single person in there, whether it is just getting taped, or having him check and see what’s wrong.”
Volleyball player, Bella Hennessee, knows the trainer’s office and Sanders like the back of her hand. Last year, as a freshman, she suffered a torn labrum, and this season has been through hip dysplasia and a concussion that revealed a pinched brain stem.
Bella says, “I came into Jason’s in December after I tore my hip labrum. We tried to fix my hip without surgery, but it was too messed up. He got me to the really good doctors. I went to his office everyday for treatment, and I still go in seven months out of surgery.” Sanders takes care of his athletes not only in the moment of an injury, but in the long and short term follow up and care.
Another fall sport rarely thought of to face injuries is the cross county team. However, Sanders has seen 3 runners this season.
He has taped and done rehab for the sprained ankle of Katrine Rhodes and has handled a return to run protocol for Madison Miller, who unfortunately had a brain bleed after a bike wreck over the summer. Recently, Sanders has treated and referred Ethan Jones to an orthopedic doctor for a potential stress fracture in his shin.
Sanders has also seen and worked with a few cheerleaders for a back injury, a couple of shoulders, a thumb, and taped serval ankles. Cheerleader Anna Jones has been battling a back injury, but she is also one of Jason’s helpers.
After talking with all of his helpers, they generally said getting to help work in the office and learn from Jason has benefitted them not only as future health care workers, but as people. The skills learned in the trainers office are valuable and create irreplaceable memories.
It has been scientifically proven that staying positive with injury speeds up recovery. While Sanders might be around for the “low” parts of an athlete’s journey, he keeps them laughing. He makes sure the office is fun and people have smiles on their faces. This makes it harder to be upset during rehab, and consequently speeds up recovery time.
Sanders works all of the Red Raider home sporting games, along with home and away games for varsity football. The CCCHS Red Raiders are grateful to have Sanders, as he has played a vital role in fighting off and treating the unfortunate “injury bug.”
