Athletic Training

The vision of the VCS Athletic Training Program is to create the safest environment for athletes through excellent service and bring inspiration to future students in the healthcare field.

In conjunction with our school’s mission, the athletic training team at VCS provides a program founded on practicing sports medicine with the highest quality care possible in a professional, compassionate, and service-oriented manner. The primary objective of our Certified Athletic Trainers is to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes participating in sports. To do so, we work in collaboration with the athletic department, school nurse, physical therapists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. The Athletic Training team offers services from prevention, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, immediate and emergency care, treatment and rehabilitation, organization, professional health, and well-being. We also provide unique services such as on-campus pre-participation sports examinations and specialty referrals.

As a clinical site for the California State University, Northridge Athletic Training Educational Program (CSUN ATEP), VCS provides a hands-on experience for college students.

High School Athletic Training Class

High school athletic training students are provided the opportunity to have on-field and clinic experience under the supervision of our Certified Athletic Trainers. This is an 8th period after school class where students have the opportunity to assist in medical coverage and treatment for our school athletic activities. Our VCS athletic training class strives to provide mentoring and leadership skills while building Christ-centered, life-long relationships.

Annual Required Sports Physical

Any students planning to participate in athletics need to follow the process for athletic clearance below.

1) Download the sports physical form. Complete pages 1-2 and have your physician complete pages 3-4. The form must be signed and dated by the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant. No physicals performed and signed by a chiropractor will be accepted.

2) Register on athleticclearance.com for the corresponding academic year, then upload the sports physical form there.

Upon review, you will receive an email stating the clearance status of your son/daughter to participate in athletic practices and games.

Multiple Sports: Once you complete a this process for one sport, most of the information you have entered will be retained in the system. To register for an additional sport, log in with the same user name and password, click on "view" under the confirmation column, and select additional sports. It is a good idea to request clearance for all sports you might want to play so you don't have to wait for clearance later in the year.

NATA Safe Sports Schools First Team Award Recipient

Village Christian School is the recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Safe Sports School award. The award champions safety and recognizes secondary schools that provide safe environments for student athletes. The award reinforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention and treatment.

As of November 2015, fewer than 600 programs nationwide and a mere 23 in California have received the designation since its inception in 2013.

“We remain committed to the health and welfare of young athletes in competitive sports,” says NATA President Scott Sailor, EdD, ATC. “This award recognizes the contributions and commitment of schools across the country that are implementing safe sports policies and best practices to ensure athletes can do what they love best and have the appropriate care in place to prevent, manage and treat injuries should they occur.”

In order to achieve Safe Sport School status, athletic programs must do the following:

  • Create a positive athletic health care administrative system
  • Provide or coordinate pre-participation physical examinations
  • Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
  • Plan for selection, fit function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
  • Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
  • Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
  • Provide or facilitate injury intervention
  • Create and rehearse a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan
  • Provide or facilitate psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
  • Be sure athletes and parents are educated of the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities

About NATA: National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 39,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit www.nata.org.

Emergency Information

Nearest Urgent Cares:

Verdugo Hills Medical Association
544 N. Glendale Ave
Glendale, CA 91206
(818) 241-4331

Burbank Urgent Care Center
3413 W. Pacific Ave Suite 102
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 953-4408

Lakeside Community Urgent Care-Burbank
191 S. Buena Vista St Suite 150
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 953-4408

Team Physician

Dr. Ryan Kelln
Children's Hospital Arcadia Outpatient Location
468 East Santa Clara St
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 705-7177
https://www.chla.org/arcadia

 

Nearest Hospitals:

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
1812 Verdugo Blvd
Glendale, CA 91208
(818) 790-7100

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
4650 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 660-2450

Kaiser Permanente
13651 Willard St
Panorama City, CA 91402
(818) 375-2000

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
501 S. Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 843-5111

Concussion Information from CIF

California State Law AB 25 (effective January 1, 2012), now Education Code § 49475:

  1. The law requires a student athlete who may have a concussion during a practice or game to be removed from the activity for the remainder of the day.
  2. Any athlete removed for this reason must receive a written note from a medical doctor trained in the management of concussion before returning to practice.
  3. Before an athlete can start the season and begin practice in a sport, a concussion information sheet must be signed and returned to the school by the athlete and the parent or guardian.

Every two years, all coaches are required to receive training about concussions (AB 1451), as well as certification in First Aid training, CPR, and AEDs (life-saving electrical devices that can be used during CPR).

Information Forms (PDF downloads)
What is a concussion and how would I recognize one?

A concussion is a kind of brain injury. It can be caused by a bump or hit to the head, or by a blow to another part of the body with the force that shakes the head. Concussions can appear in any sport, and can look differently in each person.

Most concussions get better with rest and over 90% of athletes fully recover, but, all concussions are serious and may result in serious problems including brain damage and even death, if not recognized and managed the right way.

Most concussions occur without being knocked out. Signs and symptoms of concussion (see back of this page) may show up right after the injury or can take hours to appear. If your child reports any symptoms of concussion or if you notice some symptoms and signs, seek medical evaluation from your team’s athletic trainer and a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussion. If your child is vomiting, has a severe headache, is having difficulty staying awake or answering simple questions, he or she should be immediately taken to the emergency department of your local hospital.

On the CIF website is a Graded Concussion Symptom Checklist. If your child fills this out after having had a concussion, it helps the doctor, athletic trainer or coach understand how he or she is feeling and hopefully shows progress. We ask that you have your child fill out the checklist at the start of the season even before a concussion has occurred so that we can understand if some symptoms such as headache might be a part of his or her everyday life. We call this a “baseline” so that we know what symptoms are normal and common. Keep a copy for your records, and turn in the original. If a concussion occurs, he or she should fill out this checklist daily. This Graded Symptom Checklist provides a list of symptoms to compare over time to make sure the athlete is recovering from the concussion.

What can happen if my child keeps playing with concussion symptoms or returns too soon after getting a concussion?

Athletes with the signs and symptoms of concussion should be removed from play immediately. There is NO same day return to play for a youth with a suspected concussion. Youth athletes may take more time to recover from concussion and are more prone to long-term serious problems from a concussion.

Even though a traditional brain scan (e.g., MRI or CT) may be “normal”, the brain has still been injured. Animal and human studies show that a second blow before the brain has recovered can result in serious damage to the brain. If your athlete suffers another concussion before completely recovering from the first one, this can lead to prolonged recovery (weeks to months), or even to severe brain swelling (Second Impact Syndrome) with devastating consequences.

There is an increasing concern that head impact exposure and recurrent concussions contribute to long-term neurological problems. One goal of this concussion program is to prevent a too early return to play so that serious brain damage can be prevented.

SIGNS OBSERVED BY TEAMMATES, PARENTS, AND COACHES INCLUDE:

  • Looks dizzy
  • Looks spaced out
  • Confused about plays
  • Forgets plays
  • Is unsure of game, score, or opponent
  • Moves clumsily or awkwardly
  • Answers questions slowly
  • Slurred speech
  • Shows a change in personality or way of acting
  • Can’t recall events before or after the injury
  • Seizures or has a fit
  • Any change in typical behavior or personality
  • Passes out

SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • Headaches
  • “Pressure in head”
  • Nausea or throws up
  • Neck pain
  • Has trouble standing or walking
  • Blurred, double, or fuzzy vision
  • Bothered by light or noise
  • Feeling sluggish or slowed down
  • Feeling foggy or groggy
  • Drowsiness
  • Change in sleep patterns
  • Loss of memory
  • “Don’t feel right”
  • Tired or low energy
  • Sadness
  • Nervousness or feeling on edge
  • Irritability
  • More emotional
  • Confused
  • Concentration or memory problems
  • Repeating the same question/comment
What is Return to Learn?

Following a concussion, student athletes may have difficulties with short- and long-term memory, concentration and organization. They will require rest while recovering from injury (e.g., avoid reading, texting, video games, loud movies), and may even need to stay home from school for a few days. As they return to school, the schedule might need to start with a few classes or a half-day depending on how they feel. They may also benefit from a formal school assessment for limited attendance or homework such as reduced class schedule if recovery from a concussion is taking longer than expected. Your school or doctor can help suggest and make these changes. Student athletes should complete the Return to Learn guidelines and return to complete school before beginning any sports or physical activities. Go to the CIF website (cifstate.org) for more information on Return to Learn.

How is Return to Play (RTP) determined?

Concussion symptoms should be completely gone before returning to competition. A RTP progression involves a gradual, step-wise increase in physical effort, sports-specific activities and the risk for contact. If symptoms occur with activity, the progression should be stopped. If there are no symptoms the next day, exercise can be restarted at the previous stage.

RTP after concussion should occur only with medical clearance from a medical doctor trained in the evaluation and management of concussions, and a step-wise progression program monitored by an athletic trainer, coach, or other identified school administrator. Please see cifstate.org for a graduated return to play plan. [AB 2127, a California state law that became effective 1/1/15, states that return to play (i.e., full competition) must be no sooner than 7 days after the concussion diagnosis has been made by a physician.]

Final Thoughts for Parents and Guardians

It is well known that high school athletes will often not talk about signs of concussions, which is why the CIF information sheet is so important to review with them. Teach your child to tell the coaching staff and/or athletic trainer if he or she experiences such symptoms, or if he or she suspects that a teammate has suffered a concussion.

References
  • American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: concussion in sport (2013)
  • Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012
  • CDC Concussion Signs and Symptoms

Meet the Head Athletic Trainer: Daniel Delgado


Dr. Daniel Delgado is entering his first year as Village Christian's Head Athletic Trainer and leads a sports medicine team comprised of VCS and Cal State Northridge (CSUN) athletic training students.

Under Dr. Dan's leadership, the Athletic Training Program strives to provide the highest quality care possible in a professional, evidence-based, and patient-centered manner, while mentoring students to help them build leadership skills and life-long relationships.

A 2016 graduate of VCS himself, Dr. Dan served on the sports medicine team under Mrs. P his senior year. He then came back to VCS as a student athletic trainer from CSUN during the 2018 fall semester, had an internship with the LA Rams in 2019, and various other clinical experiences before pursuing a clinical Doctorate in Athletic Training from Indiana State University (ISU). While at ISU, Dr. Dan served as the Head Athletic Trainer at Tri-County Jr/Sr High School.

Meet the Team Physician: Dr. Kelln

Ryan Kelln is a board certified pediatrician, fellowship-trained, with board certification in primary care sports medicine. He is an Attending Physician at the Children's Orthopedic Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopedics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

Dr. Kelln enjoys treating the wide range of orthopedic and other medical conditions that impact today’s athletes. His specific interests are in injury prevention, overuse injuries, sports related concussions, and the various psychosocial issues that can occur in individual or team sport participation.

Office Location: Children’s Hospital, Arcadia Outpatient Center, 468 E. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, CA 91006. Office: 626-795-7177. Fax: 626- 357-4052.

Contact Athletics

If we can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Athletics Department. We can be reached by phone at 818-767-8382 x290, or you may use the form below to send us an e-mail.

Please do NOT e-mail us athletic clearance forms directly; they should be uploaded to athleticclearance.com as per the instructions above.

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