Congratulations to Jessica Trcka, 2010 graduate of Hobart High School in Hobart, Indiana, and winner of this year's Jack Cramer Scholarship. Jessica will attend Ball State University in Muncie with a double major in athletic training and secondary math education.
 
Jessica had never considered athletic training until the end of her freshman year when her school's head athletic trainer, Mark Leto, ATC, asked if she would like to help with football the following year. "It sounded like fun," Jessica says. "I fell in love with it and was a student athletic training aide for 20 varsity sports. Now it's what I want to do for the rest of my life!"
 
Here is an excerpt from the essay portion of Jessica's scholarship application: "In five years I will begin my career as a certified athletic trainer and secondary math teacher.  My ideal job situation is to start an athletic training program in a high school that does not have a full-time athletic trainer.  In addition to teaching math, I will help develop a program that will raise awareness about the athletic training profession.  I will encourage my student athletic training aides to pursue a career in athletic training just as my high school mentor did.
 
"Ideally, I will create a new athletic training program. I realize there will be budget constraints; therefore, I will consider incorporating my high school and university athletic training room experiences when designing a cost effective and thoroughly productive facility. Hopefully, I will be allowed to develop pre-athletic training classes such as medical terminology and allied health. These classes will provide the opportunity to recruit knowledgeable student athletic training aides. I know that providing health care requires the need to develop a trusting rapport with coaches, student athletes, and parents. Consequently, my student athletic training aides and I will constantly work to gain these positive relationships. As a board certified athletic trainer I will provide quality health care to my student athletes. Through my program, my student athletic training aides will be encouraged to consider a career in athletic training."
 
Jessica's mentor, Mark Leto, says it's Jessica's ownership of the profession that set her apart from other students he has worked with. "She attended three different student athletic trainer workshops just so she could learn how other people do the job. Jessica will be missed because she knew what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, and how to get it done. She has a fantastic attitude and a wonderful personality. When this season starts I think all of our coaches and myself will put her down as a key loss to the program. That is the impression she leaves on people."
 
Jack Cramer, son of company co-founder Frank Cramer, devoted his career to Cramer Products and sports medicine. He died in 2004 at age 86. The annual scholarship awards $2,000.00 to a high school senior planning to become a Certified Athletic Trainer in a high school setting.
 
We know you'll do great, Jessica!

High school students it's never too early to start preparing your essays for next year's Jack Cramer Scholarship!

Congratulations to the Athletic Training Education Program of Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana-this year's winner of the Bill Cramer Professional Development Award. The annual $2,000.00 award was created following the death of Bill Cramer in 2007 to honor his passion and enthusiasm for athletic training education.
 
Kathy Taylor Remsburg, MS, ATC, LAT, is associate professor and director of Franklin College's ATEP. She says, "We were truly honored to receive this award. As our ATEP has grown, it has become difficult to assist our students with the fees associated with professional development. This award will allow us to pay for all our students to attend one or two conferences this year. This is a tremendous opportunity for our students."
 
"Kathy's application letter for the award was very thorough," says Ed Christman, vice president of marketing for Cramer Products. "We were extremely impressed by the scope and success of Franklin's ATEP, and really like some of the unique aspects of their program such as the required research project and the emphasis on mentoring."
 
Here are some highlights of the Franklin College ATEP:
 
There are currently 23 athletic training students enrolled in the major. This past year over 30 of the college's 350 incoming students expressed an interest majoring in athletic training. Since 2006, over 85% of students have passed the BOC exam on their first attempt. Overall, over 90% of students who have challenged the BOC exam have successfully become certified.
 
Franklin's Athletic Training Club, Kathy says, "is one of the strongest and most active clubs on campus." Students involved have many opportunities for educational growth and professional development, and are encouraged to attend symposiums at the state, district, and national levels; assist with building awareness of the profession of athletic training; participate in community service activities; and help with fundraising efforts.
 
In her application letter, Kathy writes, "Another unique aspect of our program is our Buddy System.  Our Buddy system is a mentoring system designed to inter-mix the levels of students within our ATEP and provide students with various avenues for informal interactions with all members of the FC clinical education community.  In this system, we pair seniors with applicants, and sophomores with juniors, or sophomores with seniors, etc."
 
Students in the FC ATEP program participate in a Professional Development Unit program.  This program is based on the CEU's that professional athletic trainers' must accrue over a 3-year span.  Students must collect 75 PDU's over the course of a year in 6 categories: Professional Association Membership; Professional-Related community service; Non-professional-related community service; Professional Development; Service to the campus, program and community; and Educational Experiences.
 
In order to graduate from Franklin's ATEP, students must develop, conduct and accrue data, and write all five chapters of a required, qualitative or quantitative, research project.  Kathy writes, "Although this is a daunting task for the students initially, they usually end up enjoying the work on their individual projects."
 
Once again, congratulations to Kathy, her staff, Franklin College, and the outstanding students in the ATEP program!

Four years ago, the very first Jack Cramer Scholarship was awarded to Kevin Burroughs, a 2006 graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio. At the time, Kevin planned to attend Central Michigan University and pursue a career as a certified athletic trainer. He said he was inspired by his older sister who was also entering the profession, and by his high school athletic trainer, Terry Slattery, ATC.
 
Cramer's vice president of marketing, Ed Christman, was very pleasantly surprised to hear from Kevin earlier this summer, with an update that confirmed he was an outstanding choice for that scholarship four years ago. Kevin graduated from Central Michigan this past spring and took the certification exam in April. He's interned with the Royals this summer, and he's going to Penn State this fall to being a master's degree.
 
Kevin spent much of the spring semester in Clearwater, Fla., doing a 16-week mandatory internship.  He says he learned so much from a wide variety of experiences, which included working at Toronto's minor league spring training camp; working with a high school baseball team; and assisting with the Blue Jays' spring training. Kevin also helped athletes with sports rehabilitation, strength and conditioning at the Winning Inning Baseball Academy in Clearwater. Those athletes included local high school and college students...as well as White Sox player Gavin Floyd and last year's National League Rookie of the Year, Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins.
 
Last summer, Kevin interned with the minor league Burlington, N.C. Royals, under Mark Stubblefield. "Through that experience, and with Mark's help, I made some contacts and am excited to have an internship with the Royals this summer. It's very interesting to see how different athletic trainers stretch athletes and treat injuries. I've been able to do ultrasound, electrical stimulation, laser therapy, and stretching. And I've also stocked the training room, made sure the hydrotherapy room is ready, kept the water coolers filled, and made ice towels. I'm glad to do whatever they need me to do!"
 
Terry Slattery, Kevin's high school mentor, is still an important person in Kevin's life.  "I usually see him when I go home, and I frequently call him for advice. He tells me things to watch out for, and what to do and what not to do. He's had a big impact on my life."
 
Stasia, Kevin's older sister, is now an assistant athletic trainer at Auburn University. "She helped me a lot through college," Kevin says. "We share information and throw ideas off of each other. It's interesting to note that Kevin and Stasia share the same birthday, March 28, five years apart!
 
Now, Kevin is looking forward to taking the next major step. "I can't wait to go to Penn State. I plan to work with baseball my first year, and will probably work with football the second year. I'm getting my masters in health education, and plan to stick with baseball."
 
All of us at Cramer are very proud of you, Kevin!

Here at Cramer Products, we know that kits and workstations are VIPs...Very Important Purchases...for every athletic trainer. You want to have just the right kit for each sport; for traveling; to grab-and-go; and to suit your personal style and way of organizing supplies. You want workstations that are convenient; hold all the supplies you need; and allow you to treat athletes on the spot.
 
Take a look at one of our newest products, the Sideline Workstation. Chances are, it's unlike anything you're currently using. For one thing, it's probably somewhat (or maybe even quite a bit!) larger than the kits and workstations you now own. Standing vertically, it's 40" high, and it measures 16.25" wide and 10.25" deep.
 
This mega-station features an exterior body made from sturdy, resilient ABS plastic. Though large, the workstation can be moved around easily using the pneumatic base tires on metal axles. Smaller locking swivel wheels, located on the back of the workstation, near the top, assist in movement as well.
 
Open up the Sideline Workstation, and it's somewhat of an athletic trainer's dream, with shelves, doors, and organized space for everything. The adjustable shelves can be easily rearranged to customize the interior to best fit your needs.
 
This kit is designed so you can work right out of it either vertically or horizontally-which ever works best for you and your athletes. A work light is included for low light situations, and high-quality locking latches prevent accidental openings and keep your equipment protected.

Danny Poole, head athletic trainer at Clemson University, has been using the Sideline Workstation for football practice, and says he likes the convenience and the design. "You open it up, and everything is right there," he says. "We just roll it out there for practice, open it up, and leave it standing upright. I like the accessibility and the fact that we don't have to pull trays out. It's easy to get to anything we need."
 
The next time you're ready to make a VIP purchase of a new kit or workstation, consider our new Sideline Workstation. You'll love the convenience of a workstation big enough to store and organize absolutely everything you need.