New Paltz Central School District

New Paltz Central School District Implements New Athletic Training Program

The New Paltz Central School District’s new athletic trainer,  Brady Ternes, has been busy implementing a new athletic training program. Ternes works with student-athletes every day on the field as well as in the District’s new fully equipped athletic training room, assessing injuries, coordinating medical treatment, taping injuries, educating students on conditioning for preventing injury, and more. 

Ternes has a Master of Arts in Sports Science and Pedagogy from Gardner-Webb University and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Fort Hays State University and is credentialed by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer and the New York State Education Department. He has transformed the former overflow storage space in the High School with fresh paint, new treatment tables, a taping station, and medical and therapeutic equipment, which includes a high-tech electrical stimulation (e-stim) and ultrasound machine. 

The doors to the athletic training room open in mid-morning during lunch so students can receive 1:1 treatment through the end of the school day when student-athletes begin to flow in for preventative pre-practice. He attends all home competitions and travels with the teams participating in higher-risk sports; he also follows up with student-athletes for post-practice treatments. Ternes sees between 20-25 student-athletes per day. 

Ternes said that having an athletic training program available daily for students is a huge benefit, as it provides an easy access point for the evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of orthopedic injuries – and also provides immediate care in the case of an emergency. 

Ternes said student-athletes can prevent an injury through the athletic training program in various ways, such as working with coaches to modify practice activities to take the stress off an injured body part, creating appropriate warming-up/cooling-down exercises, and bracing the vulnerable body parts when appropriate. Preventative care also includes monitoring the playing equipment and assisting with its maintenance, and assessing the field for unsafe conditions. 

Ternes added that offering high-quality preventative care involves attending education events and passing on information to coaches about drills or techniques that improve body mechanics to reduce injuries from overuse and developing safe return-to-play plans following an injury. 

“The response from students and parents has been overwhelmingly positive,” Ternes said. “The students are actively seeking my services, and our parents appreciate the communication about injuries and rehabilitation exercises they can help implement.”

NPCSD Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics Greg Warren shared that the addition of the athletic training program, although long overdue, has been received with tremendous appreciation. “Students, coaches, and parents have all provided positive feedback on the job Ternes is doing, and everyone is at a sense of ease now that he is here and doing a great job,” Warren said.