New Sports Medicine Symposium highlights day one of the All-School Summit
The 2022-23 school year officially got underway with day one of the All-School Summit Monday, Aug. 1, at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. Day one was full of information and excitement as CHSAA and its member schools gear up for the coming year.
Starting off the day was a three-fold event that included new Athletic and Activities Director meetings, as well as the inaugural Sports Medicine Symposium, which was hosted in conjunction with the Colorado Athletic Trainers Association.
The Symposium marked the first time athletic trainers from across the state had the opportunity to come together at the All-School Summit before the start of the season. Over 120 certified athletic trainers made the trip to Denver for the Symposium.
“We wanted to find a way to bring our athletic trainers together and make them feel more connected to the CHSAA process,” Thompson Valley School District AD and SMAC Committee Chairman Kevin Clark stated. “With how much interaction AT’s have with AD’s, we wanted to offer some sessions for them on some things that are relevant to them in their field. Today was a great way to kick off the year here at Mile High with a great keynote speaker.”
That great keynote speaker was legendary former Broncos athletic trainer Steve “Greek” Antonopoulos. Antonopoulos spent 45 years in the Broncos organization as an athletic trainer, including 36 years as the head athletic trainer. He gave speeches to both the athletic trainers, as well as the new ADs, on the role and importance of sports medicine professionals.
“I think it’s incredible that CHSAA and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee have been able to develop this day to assist in the advancement of sports medicine ideals,” Antonopoulos stated. “The education that was provided today and the student-athlete centered concepts are what CHSAA is all about. It was a great honor for me to have the opportunity to speak today, because I come from a small town and it’s great to see the grassroots efforts that go into making great athletic training.”
“Today was awesome,” CATA President Jim Keller added. “Relationships have been growing across the state, and this serves as a catalyst to continue those efforts. It’s something that I hope will continue in the years ahead because we need to come together to share thoughts and ideas to put the student-athletes first.”
In the afternoon, the rest of the returning ADs from across the state joined the group to take in informational sessions, as well as hear an impassioned keynote speech from Rick Ramirez. You can learn more about Rick at his website, rickramirezspeaks.com.
Thank you to @rick_ramirez915 for the fantastic keynote speech this afternoon at the All School Summit! #copreps #coactivities pic.twitter.com/CPuY0CYGG3
— CHSAA (@CHSAA) August 1, 2022
