Students at South Florence High School display the Safe Sports School Award Banner with McLeod Sports Medicine Certified Athletic Trainer Sarah Shaeffer.
Pictured from left to right (back row): Emma Pound, Sarah Shaeffer, Julia Rowe; (front row): Charmaine Moses, Allison Hutchinson.

South Florence High School is the recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School award for its Athletic Training program. The award champions safety and recognizes secondary schools that provide safe environments for student athletes. This award also reinforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention and treatment.

“The student athletes and administration of South Florence are honored to receive this 1st Team recognition from NATA. We remain committed to keeping our student athletes safe during physical education classes, team practices and games so they can accomplish their own goals of great competition, winning records, fair sportsmanship and good health. Our goal is to lead the athletics program to the highest safety standards for our players,” said Sarah Shaeffer, McLeod Sports Medicine Certified Athletic Trainer for South Florence High School.

NATA President Scott Sailor, EdD, ATC, states: “This award recognizes the contributions and commitment of schools across the country that are implementing safe sports policies and best practices to ensure athletes can do what they love best and have the appropriate care in place to prevent, manage and treat injuries should they occur.”

In order to achieve Safe Sport School status, athletic programs must do the following:

• Create a positive athletic health care administrative system
• Provide or coordinate pre-participation physical examinations
• Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
• Plan for selection, fit function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
• Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
• Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
• Provide or facilitate injury intervention
• Create and rehearse a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan
• Provide or facilitate psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
• Be sure athletes and parents are educated on the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities

For more information on the Safe Sports Award, visit www.NATA.org.

McLeod Sports Medicine provides Athletic Trainers to 23 facilities in Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Horry, Marion, and Marlboro Counties. Certified Athletic Trainers are board certified, highly trained health professionals who work with sports teams and athletes to ensure they are healthy before competition, keep them healthy when they play, treat them when they are injured and work on getting them back to healthy competition.