Great Lakes Valley Conference - Handbook - Section 11

GREAT LAKES VALLEY CONFERENCE
SECTION 11 - ATHLETIC TRAINING

ATHLETIC TRAINING GUIDELINES
1. For the safety and well-being of all who are involved with our sports programs, it is necessary for us to provide an efficient and well-planned program of emergency care to a stricken student-athlete, staff member, or spectator. Each scheduled session, practice, or contest that involves a visiting conference team shall require:
  1. Planned access to physician, preferably a team physician, by telephone or nearby presence for prompt medical evaluation of the situation, if warranted.
  2. Planned access to a medical facility, including a plan for communication and transportation between the athletics site and the medical facility for prompt medical services, if warranted. Written evidence, including Chain of Command, phone numbers of physicians, emergency rooms, and head NATA certified athletic trainers, along with an emergency plan and game day proceeding should be made available to each athletic trainer prior to conference competition.
  3. A thorough understanding by all affected parties, including the leadership of visiting teams, and/or concerned spectators, of the personnel and procedures involved. The need for access to training rooms and use of modalities, outside of normal working hours, should be arranged for in writing or by phone one week prior to need. If traveling without a certified trainer, all rehabilitation and modality needs are to be put in writing and sent to the host athletic trainer prior to need.
2. The athletics trainer shall be responsible for maintaining the health-fitness records for each student- athlete and be responsible for rendering emergency care when warranted. He or she is the direct contact with the team physician and must abide by the physician's decisions and recommendations as to a student-athlete's fitness for play. Each conference team shall include in their travel kit a record of each team member's medical history, insurance plan, and emergency phone number.
3. Professional decision on team coverage will be made by the Certified Athletics Trainer and Athletics Director of the individual institution in consultation with the team physician.
4. It is recommended that the Cheerleader Guidelines of The National Cheerleader's Association be followed.
5. Role Delineation The following is an adaptation of the role delineation study carried out by the National Athletic Trainers Association. It is recommended that each institution utilize this description as a basis for the position of athletic trainers on their respective campuses.
  1. Prevention of athletic injuries
  2. Recignition, evaluation, and immediate care of athletic injuries
  3. Rehabilitation and reconditioning of athletic injuries
  4. Health care administration
  5. Professional development and responsibility
  6. Education and Counseling
6. The Great Lakes Valley Conference recommends that Position Stands published by the American College of Sports Medicine be used as the policy to be carried out by its member schools.
7. The Great Lakes Valley Conference members agree with and will adhere to the recommended guidelines in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook.
MEDICAL CHAIN OF COMMAND AND COVERAGE
1. Conference members will follow the chain of command for medical decisions at conference competition:
  1. The team physician, or attending physician if the team physician is not available, has total control over the participation of any injured or ill athlete.
  2. In the absence of a physician, the team NATA Certified Trainer shall make any decision on an injured or ill player's participation.
  3. When the visiting team's Certified Athletics Trainer is not present, the host school's Certified Athletics Trainer, when asked, will provide advice on the participation of an opposing team's athlete. When no Certified Athletics Trainer is present or available, the team student trainer, as designated by the host school's head trainer, evaluates an injured or ill athlete and makes a recommendation to the coach.
  4. It is the coach's decision to accept or reject the advice of a student trainer. All schools have in place Emergency Medical procedures. With scheduling conflicts and student staff limitations, it is often difficult, if not impossible to cover every event. In a situations where no trainer is "on site" to cover an event, coaches should use standard medical procedures, always taking the athlete's best interest into account regardless of the game situation.
    All sports are governed by the medical chain of command.
2. The following contest coverage are recommended/required for regular season competition:
  1. Basketball. Recommend physician on site or on call. Require emergency squad on call; require on site a Certified Athletics Trainer. Visiting Teams Practice: Recommend Certified Athletics Trainer or a qualified individual to render emergency care.
  2. Soccer. Recommend physician on site or on call; emergency squad on site or on call. Recommend on site a Certified Athletics Trainer.
  3. All Other Sports. Recommend Certified Athletics Trainer on site. Emergency squad on call.
3. The following contest coverage are required for GLVC championships, except as noted:
  1. Baseball. Certified Athletics Trainer on site; appropriate medical personnel on call.
  2. Basketball. Physician and Certified Athletic Trainer on site for all games.
  3. Cross Country. Certified Athletic Trainer on site; physician on call; recommend radio communications.
  4. Golf. No special coverage-emergency squad on call.
  5. Softball. Certified Athletics Trainer on site; appropriate medical personnel on call.
  6. Soccer. Certified Athletics Trainer on site; physician on call; emergency squad on call.
  7. Tennis. Certified Athletics Trainer on site; appropriate medical personnel on call.
  8. Volleyball. Certified Athletics Trainer on site; appropriate medical personnel on call.
  9. Satellite Sites. It is recommended additional staffing of Certified Athletics Trainers be hired if a GLVC Championship event is being conducted at separate sites. It is the responsibility of the host school to secure and ensure Certified Athletics Trainers at separate sites.
GAME SERVICES
The following are recommended minimum standards for site provisions:
1. Ice and water source will be provided for opposing teams.
  1. Basketball. Minimum of five gallons of water per half at courtside and three gallons of water in the visiting locker room before the game and at half time. One five gallon cooler of ice at courtside.
  2. All Other Sports. Minimum of five gallons of water at the sideline. One five gallon cooler of ice on the sidelines, dugout, etc.
2. Bio-Hazard Materials will be available at all sports contests.
3. Emergency equipment will be made available by the home team for basketball and soccer contests:
  1. backboard
  2. stretcher
  3. blood pressure kit
  4. light source (flashlight)
  5. oto-opthalmascope
  6. cervical collar
  7. crutches
  8. splints
  9. table in locker room for taping
4. All opposing teams are responsible for bringing any supplies necessary that are not mentioned in this provision.
LIGHTNING SAFETY PROTOCOL
It is mandatory that every GLVC School have a functional Skycan Lightning Detector by Fall 2000
1. In the event of prediction of a lightning storm, the Skycan Lightning Detector will be activated and monitored by the athletic administrator in charge.
2. If a storm approaches and is determined to be within 8 miles of the site, the practice or competition will be delayed.
3. The team must them move to the closest safe structure or location. The NCAA Sports Medicine Guideline Handbook defines a safe location as "any building with plumbing and/or electrical wiring that acts to electrically ground the structure."
4. The team will return to play when the storm has moved beyond 8 miles and no lightning has been registered within this range for 30 minutes.
ATHLETIC TRAINERS COMMITTEE
1. The Athletics Trainers Chair will be selected annually.
  1. CHAIR. Responsibilities to include the calling of meetings (in consultation with the league office), preparation of the agenda and communicating with the committee chairs for the athletic directors, senior women administrators and the commissioner.
  2. VICE CHAIR. Responsibilities to include legislative or guideline review and assisting the chair.
  3. SECRETARY. Responsibilities to include the recording and distribution of meeting minutes to committee members.
2. Meetings
  1. Each Association shall meet at least once annually, either in person or by conference call. Such meetings shall be scheduled by the conference commissioner.
  2. Attendance at these meetings by all GLVC institutions is expected.
  3. The secretary will be elected every year at the spring meeting. Officers will move automatically from secretary to vice chair to chair.