Initial Proposal

A. Required Information
1.

Full Name: Nathan Stone

2.

SUU T#: 00680280

3.

Email: nstone56@gmail.com

4.

Phone: 801-520-3584

5.

Major & Minor: Athletic Training and Exercise Science (double major)

6.

Title of Project: Athletic Training Service for SUU Summer Football Camps

7.

Expected Project Start Date (Semester/Year): June 22, 2015

8.

Expected Project End Date (Semester/Year): July 16, 2015

B. Abstract
I will be providing athletic training services alongside several certified athletic trainers to
high school athletes during two football camps. The Football camps will be hosted by
the Southern Utah University football staff at the SUU football stadium as well as the
practice fields and I will be part of a group of both certified athletic trainers and athletic
training students providing athletic training service through the Stadium training room.
These camps take place every summer offering both individual and team camps for
high school football players and have hosted teams from Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and
Idaho. The two camps will take place this summer starting June 21 st and July 12th and
will run for a total of 5 days each, with practices and activities going on all throughout
the day. Football is a sport with a high risk of injury and athletic trainers play an
important role in preparing athletes to prevent injuries as well as performing treatments
to minimize injuries they do sustain and support rehabilitation. My service will not only
give me additional hands-on experience with athletic training, but it will also help the
athletes stay healthy, safe, and perform better during the duration of each camp as well
as help to educate the athletes on how to take care of their injuries.

C. Project Details

1.

Explain how the project connects with your personal motivations and career
aspirations.
My project connects with my personal motivations and career aspirations because it
is directly related to athletic training. The experience of working summer camps is
not only enjoyable for me, but it also gives me one more thing to put on my resume
for when I apply for jobs and/or graduate school after I graduate from SUU. Every
Athletic training student goes through the regular clinical rotations while in school,
and this will give me additional experience outside of the standard curriculum. I
aspire to be an athletic trainer at a university after I receive a masters degree, so
the experience I will get from this project is exactly the kind of thing I need to be
doing.

2.

Explain how the project ties in with concepts of community engagement.

This project ties in with community engagement because it will help SUUs yearly
summer camp run more smoothly as well as help high school athletes from Cedar
City, as well as athletes from all over the state and other nearby areas have a better
overall experience with the camp. Along with the Utah Summer Games, many Cedar
City businesses gain from the extra tourism that comes through town during the
summer due to events like these. If the people who come to Cedar City have a good
experience with the events they take part in here, they are more likely to come back
and even attract more visitors. The things I learn will also help me to help other
communities I will be a part of in my lifetime.

3.

Provide a timeline for completion of each step of the project.

First football camp:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (June 22, 23, 24)

7:30am 9:00am pre-practice treatments/taping

9:00am 11:15am supervise practice

11:15am 12:00pm post-practice treatments

12:00pm 1:00pm lunch break

1:00pm 2:00pm pre-practice treatments/taping

2:00pm 4:00pm supervise practice

4:00pm 5:30pm post-practice treatments

Thursday, June 25

7:00am 8:00am pre-activity treatments/taping

8:00am 10:30am supervise practice/competitions

10:30am 12:00pm post-activity treatments

Second football camp:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (July 13, 14, 15)

7:30am 9:00am pre-practice treatments/taping

9:00am 11:15am supervise practice

11:15am 12:00pm post-practice treatments

12:00pm 1:00pm lunch break

1:00pm 2:00pm pre-practice treatments/taping

2:00pm 4:00pm supervise practice

4:00pm 5:30pm post-practice treatments

Thursday, July 16

4.

7:00am 8:00am pre-activity treatments/taping

8:00am 10:30am supervise practice/competitions

10:30am 12:00pm post-activity treatments

Provide a budget, with projected expenses and revenues, for your project.

Expected Expenses:

5.

Gas (transportation)
Food (breakfast/lunch/dinner)
Tape/medical supplies
Sunscreen
Total Expenses

$30
$75
$100
$10
$215

Expected Income:
Money Saved from job
Compensation for working camps
Total Income

$100
$200
$300

Explain how your personal strengths will help you complete your project.
One of my biggest strengths is that I can remain calm under pressure and in
stressful environments. There will more than likely be a large number of athletes
coming through before practice every day to get their ankles taped. This usually
creates a very noisy and crowded environment with athletes talking to each other
and the trainers, with people running around grabbing supplies and getting ready for
practice. Its very important for an athletic trainer to not be bothered by all the
commotion so that they can remember all the steps to taping (or any other treatment
for that matter), and do everything correctly rather than stumbling over themselves
leading to less-than-optimal care. When an athlete gets hurt, it is also not
uncommon for an athlete to be very alarmed by the situation. Being able to remain
calm while talking to an injured athlete is crucial to their cooperation and getting the
information you need so that you can provide proper care.

6.

Explain how you will overcome your personal weaknesses and outside threats to
complete your project
A particular personal weakness of mine is a lack of confidence in some situations. I
tend to underestimate my scope of knowledge and in turn I convince myself that I
dont know what Im doing. During the few opportunities Ive had to evaluate injuries,
this is often something that I do. From what my supervisors have told me it is just a
matter of practice because there is a lot to remember. In order to overcome this I
plan to continue practicing at it as well as remember that it is okay to ask questions
to help me along as I go. Practice makes perfect after all, and with more experience
comes more confidence. Any athlete would rather have an athletic trainer who asks
a few questions and is able to come to a clear conclusion than a trainer who
appears unsure of themselves the whole way through.