Athletic training camp connects high schoolers with college students, campus 

Not everyone has the opportunity to watch a football game from the sidelines, but for Morgan Bagley, this isn’t a bucket list activity…it’s just another day in the office, so to speak.

You see, Bagley is an assistant professor of Kinesiology and Sport Science and athletic trainer who is passionate about exposing young people to careers in athletic training before they are even thinking seriously about college.

Bagley sought out grant funding to create a camp at YSU that would allow area high schoolers to connect with YSU students in the Master of Athletic Training program and to learn some athletic training basics.

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association awarded YSU a $3,750 Ethnic Diversity Grant to fund two camps, one during Fall 2019 and another that was planned for spring 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Bagley was notified that the grant has been extended, and she hopes to host a camp this fall.

Last September, about a dozen high school students from Youngstown and surrounding areas spent a Saturday afternoon on campus learning CPR and about the importance of spine boarding, hydration and other varied skills, including interprofessional communication.

“I think something that we really stress is that a lot of times half the problems that you run into are really just a lack of communication,” said Bagley. “So, if they’ve learned nothing else, it’s that communication can solve a lot of things.”

Bagley is in her second year as a YSU faculty member after amassing 15 years of experience both as an educator and a practitioner at Mount Union, East Carolina University and Kent State University. To keep her skills sharp, she served as an athletic trainer during high school football season last year and has plans to work a community junior high wrestling tournament coming up this spring.

“In my world, how can I teach you something if I’m not practicing it? I always try to teach my students that. The day you’re not learning is the day that a patient could get hurt,” said Bagley. 

Bagley describes Athletic Training as one of few professions that gets to see the patient through the whole cycle of healthcare.

“It’s devastating to see somebody get hurt, but you can help them get better. That’s what we get to do,” said Bagley.

Though the field’s name is Athletic Training, Bagley points out that many times the person needing medical aid is not an athlete on the field, but a referee, a parent or a fan in the stands. And athletic trainers are ready to help.

The YSU Master of Athletic Training program will graduate its third cohort this spring. The degree can be completed in two years. An accelerated track allows incoming college freshmen to complete both a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and the master’s program in five years.