The section is dedicated to the parents of all our student-athletes in Georgetown. In this section we hope to provide information about athletic training room policies and procedures and provide you with the most current and accurate information regarding physicals and other news that may affect your child.
The Athletic Training Room is located directly behind Georgetown High School in the fieldhouse.
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Training Room Hours of Operation
The training is open Monday - Friday from 7:30am - 6:00pm. If your son/daughter has sustained an injury that requires treatment, we ask that they make arrangements to be at this morning treatment session. If for some reason they are unable to make morning treatments, we ask that someone please call us and let us know so that we may be able to relay that information to their respective coaches. To view how to contact one of the Staff Athletic Trainers click here.
If you are the parent of a middle school student-athlete, we ask that you please call and set an appointment. We will make every effort to see your son/daughter as soon as we possibly can.
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Policy on Doctor's Visits
Part of our goal to provide the best health care possible to all student-athletes includes having a relationship with several well-qualified and experienced doctors in the area. We have established a network of doctors that are able to assist student-athletes associated with Georgetown High School. To see our team doctor page click here. If we feel that an injury needs to be examined by a doctor we will gladly assist you in setting an appointment to see one of our team doctors in a timely manner.
If you feel that your child needs to see a doctor (including emergency room visits) all we ask is that you communicate that with us. We are more than happy to seek opinions of any doctor you feel comfortable with.
It is required of all student-athletes that see a doctor for any injury or illness that they provide a note from the doctor upon returning to school. The note will be kept in their personal medical file in the athletic training room. To download a copy of the letter for the doctor to fill out please click here. The note should state any or all of the following:
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Any and all restrictions placed on the student-athlete for practice and/or competition.
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A time frame for how long the doctor wants the restrictions placed on the student-athlete.
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Any treatment that the doctor feels will benefit the student-athlete.
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Any alternative forms of conditioning that may be acceptable during practice (i.e. riding bike instead of running.)
Any student-athlete that is seen by a doctor and does not provide a doctors note will be required to sit out of all activity, including practices and games, until a note is provided to one of the Staff Athletic Trainers. If you feel your child needs to be held out of practice and you do not see a doctor, that needs to be communicated with the Athletic Trainer and the Head Coach of their sport. The communication must be via phone call. We do not accept parent notes brought by the student-athlete.
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Heat Illness/Fluid Replacement
The Athletic Training Staff at Georgetown High School stresses the importance of proper hydration to all athletes. Proper hydration will allow student-athletes to compete at a higher level for a longer period of time than those that do not hydrate properly. By being properly hydrated we hope to avoid any heat illnesses that may occur throughout practices and competitions. Hydration should be a habit. It should be done everyday and not just on game days.
What are heat illnesses?
There are various forms of heat illness. They range from heat rash and heat cramps through heat stroke. One of the best ways to help prevent any heat illness is through proper hydration.
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National Athletic Trainers Association position statement regarding exertional heat illness. (.pdf)
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National Athletic Trainers Association official statement regarding youth football and heat related illnesses. (.pdf)
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National Athletic Trainers Association activity health tip regarding heat illness.
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UIL Statement regarding heat stress and athletic participation.
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Georgetown High School Athletics heat index guidelines.
What are the best fluids for my son/daughter to drink to maintain proper hydration?
We believe that a balance of water and Gatorade or Powerade will enable your son/daughter to stay properly hydrated. They should drink all the time and not just when they feel thirsty. Once they feel thirsty, they are already dehydrated. Try to avoid drinks containing caffeine, especially the energy drinks that have excessive amounts of caffeine such as Red Bull. The energy drinks not only dehydrate the student-athlete, but also could adversely affect their heart.
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National Athletic Trainers Association position statement regarding fluid replacement for athletes. (.pdf)
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Good hydration and nutritional tips can be found at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
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UIL Statement regarding their recommendations for hydration.
It is also possible to suffer from cold weather illnesses from participating in athletics during cold weather conditions. Many of these are preventable and we do not encounter these problems very often in this part of the world.
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UIL statement regarding cold weather illness.
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Sports Related Concussions
Head injuries in youth sports are a serious matter. The Athletic Training Staff at Georgetown High School takes every precaution to ensure the health and safety of your child while they participate in athletics. However, head injuries do and will occur. Working alongside our team doctors we have devised a protocol that we follow in regards to sports related concussions. We have devised our protocol from the following two research papers:
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National Athletic Trainers Association position statement regarding management of sports related concussions. (.pdf)
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Summary and Agreement Statement of the 2nd International Conference of Concussion in Sport. (.pdf)
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UIL statement regarding concussions.
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UIL statement regarding head injury information.
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UIL statement on reducing head and neck injuries during football.
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UIL statement on how to keep the head out of football.
If you would like to receive one of our take home handouts on how you can manage the signs and symptoms of a student-athlete that has sustained a concussion at home please contact us. If we suspect that your son/daughter has sustained a concussion we will provide you with a sheet for home instructions that day/night.
If you suspect that your child has sustained a concussion during competition or practice, and they have not reported to us, please have him/her come to morning treatments at 7:30am in the training room.
The return to play protocol has been established by our team physicians and follows the Summary and Agreement Statement paper on pg. 5. The student-athlete will be closely monitored by one of the Staff Athletic Trainers everyday for progression.
All student-athletes that have a history of sustained concussions should report to the athletic training room for a pre-season evaluation and testing session prior to their competing in sports.
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Lightning Safety
In the athletic training room we have two lightning detectors that register lightning up to 40 miles away. When the skies turn gray we are able to carry these to the practices fields and game fields and closely monitor storms that may be approaching. We also utilize the internet to closely watch the radar. It is standard policy for us that once the lightning flashes in the 8-20 mile range, we begin to head indoors. If we do not have a monitor on-sight we utilize the 30 seconds from flash to bang method. Once you see the lightning, count down from 30 seconds. If you hear the bang before that time elapses, it is time to head indoors.
Our teams will not go back on to the playing field until 30 minutes have elapsed from the last flash of lightning. This helps to ensure the safety of all student-athletes, coaches, and other personnel.
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National Athletic Trainers Association position statement on lightning safety.
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UIL statement regarding lightning safety.
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Current weather for Georgetown, TX.
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Athletes with Asthma
Many of our student-athletes battle with asthma. It is our policy that we would like for every student-athlete to provide the Athletic Training Room with an extra inhaler to keep with us for all events in case the student-athlete needs to use it. These should be clearly labeled with the persons name. If one is not provided, we cannot safely ensure that we will have one on us at all times.
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National Athletic Trainers Association position statement regarding management for asthma in athletes. (.pdf)
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Automated External Defibrillators
(AED's)
The Athletic Training Room at Georgetown High School currently has three AED's that we use for all home sporting events. The units are easy to transport and both Staff Athletic Trainers are trained in how to use them. If your child has plans to participate in athletics, and you know of any prior heart related conditions, we ask that you please submit in writing what the condition was, how it was treated, and any future plans related to the heart condition.
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National Athletic Trainers Association official statement regarding automated external defibrillators. (.pdf)
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UIL statement on AED's in the high school setting.
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UIL statement on sudden cardiac deaths.
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Steroids and Other Supplements
It is the position of the athletic training room that no student-athlete should take any supplements including steroids. However, many times the pressure to get bigger, stronger, and faster compels student-athletes to seek supplements that may help improve their performance. Many times supplements are taken without full knowledge of what each supplement contains. Because of that fact, we would like for every student-athlete that decides to take any form of supplement to submit in writing the name of the supplement and a copy of the label. We will do the research and find out what is in the supplement and help to determine the risks for the student-athlete.
One thing to keep in mind regarding supplements is that every supplement works to deplete the body of a hydrated state. The supplement uses the body's water in order to metabolize and in effect dehydrates the student-athlete.
Also, every student-athlete is responsible for what they choose to ingest. Due to the stringent drug testing that is performed at Georgetown High School, there is a risk of testing positive for a supplement that may be purchased at stores such as GNC. That is why we strongly encourage all student-athletes not to take supplements, and for those who choose to, need to submit in writing the name of the supplement and a copy of the label.
Steroids have no place in high school athletics. The side-effects of steroid use are far reaching. To view the side-effects and the official statement by the National Athletic Trainers Association, follow the links below.
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National Athletic Trainers Association official statement on steroids and performance enhancing substances. (.pdf)
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Article #1 on steroids in youth sports.
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Article #2 on steroids in the youth population.
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UIL statement regarding drug and nutritional supplements.
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Information on steroid abuse.
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Staph Infections
We make every effort to avoid any of our student-athletes contracting staph infections. We ask that all their clothes be washed after every workout or game. Also, it is imperative that all student-athletes maintain proper hygiene and shower regularly, especially after all practices and games.
If one of our student-athletes contracts staph we immediately act to isolate all areas he/she may have been in contact with. The locker room, weight room, and any other areas the student-athlete may have been, are sprayed with our staph spray that helps to kill the staph.
If your child has contracted staph we will immediately refer them to see a doctor. It is very important that they see a doctor and follow doctors recommendations. This could be anywhere from medication to special bandages to cover the affected area. All workout clothes used by the student-athlete will be isolated to be washed separately from the others to help prevent any cross-contamination to other student-athletes. Also, if they are allowed to continue participating in athletics, the affected area must be covered at all times.
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National Athletic Trainers Association official statement regarding community-acquired MRSA infections. (.pdf)
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UIL statement regarding staph infections.
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Activity Health Tips
The following are helpful tips regarding health and activity for people of all ages. They are brought to you by the National Athletic Trainers Association.
The following are helpful tips regarding common injuries and ailments to our student-athletes are brought to you by the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the Gatorade Sports Science Institute: