All of us at Cramer are pleased to introduce Jackie Church--our most recent addition to staff. Jackie, an exercise physiologist, joined us in November in the role of associate regional promotions manager.
Jackie has been on our radar for the past year as she worked on a contract basis for Performance Health, Cramer’s parent company. In that capacity, she was an education manager and assisted with the release of the Theraband ™ CLX-Consecutive Loops™.
“Over the past year working for Performance Health, I had the opportunity to work along side the Cramer staff since I live in the Kansas City area. When the promotions manager position became available, it was just a natural step for me to move into that role with my exercise physiology background. Also, I’ve played volleyball since I was 12 years old, and have spent a lot of time in training rooms.”
Jackie grew up in Kansas City and graduated from Bishop Miege High School in 2008. She then attended Wichita State on a volleyball scholarship, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees in exercise science. She is certified as a personal trainer and in sports conditioning by the American Council on Exercise.
In addition to playing volleyball in college, Jackie played professionally with the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). “PVL is a professional volleyball league sanctioned by USA Volleyball that began in 2012,” Jackie explains. “It is made up of teams from regional volleyball associations across North America, and offers tournament play and a championship event each year. Many of the players are former college players and former Olympians. I was with PVL for two years and it was wonderful getting to play the game I love at that high level.”
In her new position with Cramer, Jackie will contact and visit athletic trainers at the high school, college, and professional level in the Midwest region from Oklahoma to Minnesota. “I’m excited about the opportunity to represent the Cramer brand and introduce athletic trainers to new products from both Cramer and Performance Health. I look forward to many conversations about helping athletes perform better and heal successfully.
In her spare time, Jackie says she can usually be found at the gym. “I enjoy yoga, Pilates, and working out. And to stay involved with volleyball, I love coaching. Last year, I coached 14-year-olds for a club traveling team.” Some of her favorite Cramer products are the Active Ankle AS1 Pro ankle brace and 950 Tape.
You can reach Jackie at [email protected]. Welcome to the Cramer family, Jackie!
A new study finds the overall rate of ACL injuries among high school athletes is significantly higher among females, who are especially likely to experience ACL tears while playing basketball, soccer and lacrosse.
The study, "Sport-Specific Yearly Risk and Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears in High School Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," was presented at the 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics Conference and Exhibition in late October.
Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found significant risk of ACL injury among both genders, particularly in high-risk sports such as soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse. While the majority of ACL injuries occur in boys, the rate of injury per exposure is higher in girls. Specifically, in girls, the highest ACL injury risks per season were observed in soccer (1.1 percent), basketball (0.9 percent), and lacrosse (0.5 percent). In comparison, the highest risks per season for boys were observed in football (0.8 percent), lacrosse (0.4 percent), and soccer (0.3 percent).
"As participation rates in high school athletics continue to rise significantly, it has become increasingly important to establish up-to-date, individualized injury information for high school athletes and their families, who represent a large proportion of patients visiting pediatric orthopaedic and sports medicine clinics."
"It has been well established that the risk for ACL tear per athletic exposure is higher in female athletes compared to males," said lead author Alex L. Gornitzky, a fourth-year medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "As participation rates in high school athletics continue to rise significantly, it has become increasingly important to establish up-to-date, individualized injury information for high school athletes and their families, who represent a large proportion of patients visiting pediatric orthopaedic and sports medicine clinics."
Knowledge of such sport-specific, seasonal risk is essential for evidenced-based parent-athlete decision-making, accurate physician counseling, and targeted injury-reduction programs for the most at-risk sports, Gornitzky said. To view the abstract, visit https://aap.confex.com/aap/2015/webprogrampreliminary/Paper31541.html. Read More
Are you tracking your running mileage, calories burned or average heart rate using a wearable device? The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has announced its annual fitness trend forecast and for the first time, exercise pros say wearable technology will be the top trend in fitness next year. The results were released in the article “ Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2016: 10th Anniversary Edition” published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal.
“Wearable technology has overtaken activities like body weight training and high-intensity interval training to claim the number one spot in this year’s survey,” said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, the lead author of the survey and associate dean in the College of Education & Human Development at Georgia State University in Atlanta. “Consumer interest in fitness technology may signal that the low-cost, DIY exercise trend is waning.”
Now in its tenth year, the survey was completed by more than 2,800 health and fitness professionals worldwide, many certified by ACSM, and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Forty potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM, including a few new additions to last year’s list, one of which rose immediately to the number one spot.
“Tech devices are now central to our daily lives and have changed the way we plan and manage our workouts,” said Thompson. “Wearable devices also provide immediate feedback that can make the wearer more aware of their level of activity and can motivate the user to achieve their fitness goals.”
The top 10 fitness trends for 2016 are:
- Wearable Technology
- Body Weight Training
- High-Intensity Interval Training
- Strength Training
- Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals
- Personal Training
- Functional Fitness (using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living)
- Fitness Programs for Older Adults
- Exercise and Weight Loss
- Yoga
The full list of top 20 trends is available in the article: "Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2016: 10th Anniversary Edition.” An infographic of the trends study results is available here. Read More
Since Cramer introduced 950 Porous Athletic Tape in 2010, it’s been a very popular item that’s a staple in many kits. Read all about this zinc oxide tape here, and find out why Gary Kinney of Santa Ana College says they buy more of this product than anything else!
Our faithful First Aider readers know that we typically feature one of our newest products in each issue. This time, though, we’ve decided to focus on one of our tried and true products that many of you can’t do without: Cramer’s 950 Porous Athletic Tape, introduced in 2010.
950 Tape is a high quality, economically priced, 100 percent cotton, zinc oxide tape. It features quality latex-free adhesive, and offers computer-calibrated unwind for consistency and performance in every roll. The tape’s backcloth is highly conformable, and the tape is easy to tear. It’s available in five widths:
- 1.5” x 15 yards (32 rolls per case)
- ½” x 10 yards (24 rolls per case)
- 3/4” x 10 yards (18 rolls per case)
- 1” x 15 yards (48 rolls per case)
- 2” x 15 yards (24 rolls per case)
Gary Kinney, athletic trainer of Santa Ana College, is a fan of the 950 Tape and has used it for about three years. “Up until three years ago, there was another tape that was the gold standard here at Santa Ana College—and I’ve been here 34 years,” Gary says. “Then that tape went up in price and we couldn’t afford it. We tried another brand and it was too sticky and too stringy. Then our Cramer rep, Dave Chaffin, suggested the 950 PorousTape, and we found it was a good cloth tape with good tensile strength. It doesn’t get stringy, holds well, comfortable to the athletes, and reasonably priced. We’ve been using it ever since.”
Gary says their primary use of the 950 Tape is preventive ankle taping. “It’s our main preventative tape that we use,” he says, “and we buy more of it than anything else in ½”, 1”, and 2” widths.”
If you haven’t given 950 Tape a try, add it to your list of New Year’s resolutions!
Something New in Football!
A new book “Football Statistics for Quarterbacks,” has just been developed by Chuck Moser of Abilene, Texas.
For many years we have had statistics books for basketball and baseball – and now, thanks to Chuck, you can have one for football. The book costs $1.75 and may be ordered from Chuck Moser, Director of Athletics, Abilene High School, Abilene, Texas.
Comments About Dehydration
Editor’s Note: Many big-time coaches don’t permit drinking water on the practice field in early season hot weather. Here are a few running comments on the subject:
Water is required for the elimination of heat…with a lack of water in the body, heat increases in ration to this lack…Water is eliminated by sweating, by breathing and by the urine and bowel movements.
Water is given off by the lungs. This may amount to a quarter or more a day. (This is noticed particularly when the weather is cold and the breath comes out as fog.)
It is possible to lose so much water in one hot day’s practice that the system will be upset during the period immediately after practice…with extreme dehydration, water and salt must be replaced, gradually.
Thirst is a symptom of water deficiency, but is not a guide to the quantity required. Water is vital to health and should be allowed on the practice field, in limited amounts, especially during early season hot weather.
In our opinion, for each hour of practice, we suggest the following:
- A 10-minute break for explanation and relations.
- Have the student trainer ready to give each player: 1 salt tablet; 1 Vitamin C tablet and 6 ounces of water in a paper cup.
- Have players relax both mentally and physically.
TIPS
We fine each player 25 cents for leaving equipment on the floor. The money is used to buy Hi-Score Vitamin “C” tablets.
--Frank Charlton, Coach, Meridian High School, Meridian, Idaho
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Do unto your visiting tams as you would have them do unto you.
