Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Defending Club Athletes

How many times did we hear, “Safety is our number one priority” in high school physical education classes? It may be impossible to count, but if students could glean anything from high school P.E., it’s that there’s no fun in sports when sports aren’t safe.

It’s in this spirit that the university should allocate additional funding to expand the pilot program that has provided club sports with their sole athletic trainer.

Athletic trainers provide critically important support to all athletes — regardless of the level of their competition. Trainers can recommend exercises and conditioning techniques to help athletes avoid injuries on the field. In addition, trainers provide necessary therapy to those athletes who do get injured while playing their sport, helping athletes recover in a timely fashion and get back on the field as soon as possible.

The differences between varsity and club athletics are as significant as they are self-evident. While some disparity in resources is to be expected between varsity sports and club sports, this disparity cannot be justified when it comes to resources that promote the safety of student-athletes — varsity or not.

As it stands, the club sports that present the greatest risks to students’ safety are participating in a pilot program that shares one trainer among seven club sports teams: men’s and women’s rugby, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, boxing and ice hockey. This is a positive first step in the direction of levelling the playing field with regard to student safety. The spirit with which this pilot program is pursued should reflect a desire to make it work, rather than a desire to see if it works.

Pilot programs are useful to see what can be possible. When student safety is at stake, however, it is a mistake to let a pilot program go on too long, leaving the students in the 24 club sports teams who are not part of the program without proper care.

It is for this reason — the prioritization of student health — that the club sports trainer program should be prioritized in funding allocation. Anything less neglects the standard of care all of our students deserve.

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