Athletic injuries class set for the spring

They say that good things come to those who wait. But the wait should be well worth it.

Carson High athletic trainer Frank Sakelarios was scheduled to teach "Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries" this fall for Western Nevada Community College. But because of the late notice, the course wasn't placed in the college's catalogue and they were not enough students signed up to take the class during the fall semester.

But Sakelarios will teach the course for WNCC during the spring semester. The class will be put in the college catalogue and there shouldn't be any problem having enough students sign up for the course, which will offer three credits. The course will be offered from 5:30-6:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.

Sakelarios said WNCC baseball coach D.J. Whittemore and Wildcat soccer coach have already asked about players on their teams taking the course.

He also said there are CHS students interested in taking the course for college credit. He's hoping that youth sports coaches will be interested in taking the course as well "so those young kids are treated better by their coaches," he said.

Sakelarios hopes to have at least 20 students in the course. "We should have plenty of people," Sakelarios said. "So it should go."

Carson students are already taking the course from Sakelarios at CHS. Among with serving as the school's athletic trainer, Sakelarios also teaches physical education and health classes. This is the third year that Sakelerios has taught the prevention and care of athletic injuries course at Carson.

The college course will cover virtually the same criteria as what Sakelarios teaches at the high school with some adjustments. The major difference will be students taking the course course will cover all the material in a semester that's covered at CHS in a year.

"It gives people who are interested... to give them some good experience and see if they want to do this," said Sakelarios about the course helping students to decide if they want to enter a sports medicine field.

And the course obviously comes in handy for athletes who want to better deal with their own injuries. "They want to understand the body and what happened to them better," Sakelarios said.

Sakelarios said athletes who have taken his course now understand better why they do the treatment he instructs them to do on their injuries when the go home such as applying ice as opposed to getting into a spa.

"Now I know why I don't do those things," said Sakelarios about what the athletes say. "It's the light bulb goes on kind of thing."

The course covers virtually any injury an athlete can suffer from head to toe. "The course is designed to teach people about athletic injuries," Sakelarios said.

The course also covers how to talk to athletes when they become hurt. "There's a lot of that," Sakelarios said. "How to talk to the athlete.

"How to really listen. They're hurt, they're upset, they're frustrated. You have to reassure them that things are going to work out."

Those who finish the course are certified in first aid and CPR. Sakelarios said the course also gives students the ability "to be able to do the basic injury evaluation type of thing and make a pretty good guess."

UNIQUE PUTTING TOURNAMENT

The Quail Run Senior Resort Community off of Fairview will be having a unique putting contest on Saturday, with a 388-foot, nine hole putting course laid out behind the community's clubhouse. The putting tournament has become an annual event.

The event is an alternate putt tournament for two-person teams and 15-16 teams from the Quail Run community are expected to participate. Casino Fandango and the Carson Nugget have even donated prizes for the top finishing teams.

Cost for the residents to enter is $1 per person. Residents must drop 10 cents into a jar every time they want to practice. Funds raised by the event go to a charity chosen by Quail Run's activities committee.

The par-34 course is not an easy one and includes plenty of dog legs. "Tiger Woods couldn't make par on this course," tournament director Nils Sharpe said.