EL MONTE – El Monte Union High School District students are receiving in-depth training in sports therapy and rehab thanks to the District’s new afterschool Sports Medicine Program, offered at Rosemead, South El Monte and Arroyo high schools.

In the winter of 2021, EMUHSD worked with a small group of students to develop the program and partnered with ATvantage Athletic Training to provide athletic training services to all comprehensive schools. Rosemead, South El Monte and Arroyo have created afterschool programs that allow students to learn from ATvantage athletic trainers and gain the skills and knowledge needed to enter the athletic training and sports medicine industry.

“Even though there’s much for students to learn and a need to move at a fast pace, they’ve taken it all head-on,” Arroyo High School Athletic Trainer Brian Smith said. “In the future, I would like to bring more interest into the sports medicine industry and continue to grow the program here at Arroyo.”

While enrolled in the program, students are taught a wide range of practices, like how to tape ankles and other joints for support, as well as basic stretching and other rehab procedures which are performed under direct supervision to help prepare athletes to perform to the best of their ability.

Based on their availability, students are assigned to practices and scheduled to help at games. During the fall semester, students receive hands-on athletic training at football, boys and girls cross country, and boys and girls volleyball practices and games along with other sports throughout the winter season. The on-field training jumpstarts students’ learning and provides relevant experience to help them further their education and pursue careers in sports medicine.

“This program has shown my true abilities in helping athletes and communicating with them what their needs are to make sure they can perform at their best,” Arroyo High School senior Dante Rodriguez Muñoz said. “From the athletic training clinics to the late-night games, it has changed my life for the better.”

In addition to the afterschool Sports Medicine program, South El Monte High School students can develop their skills through the Healthcare Operational Support Services career technical education pathway, created in partnership with Río Hondo College, which offers an emphasis in sports therapy.

“Through our new Sports Medicine Program our students are provided with a wealth of information and hands-on experience that helps grow their passion, interest and skills in the field,” Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga said. “At El Monte Union, we are proud to continue providing our students with the tools and resources they need to pursue their college and career goals.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

EMUHSD_SPORTS MEDICINE PROGRAM_1: Arroyo High School students, who are part of the El Monte Union High School District’s newly launched Sports Medicine program, celebrate the successful completion of their first 2022-23 football season.

EMUHSD_ SPORTS MEDICINE PROGRAM_2: An Arroyo High School student, who is part of the El Monte Union High School District’s newly launched Sports Medicine program, assists an athlete in stretching before a football game.

EMUHSD_ SPORTS MEDICINE PROGRAM_3: South El Monte High School senior Claudia Trejo Carmona learns how to cut a compression tubular bandage to support an athlete with a swollen knee. Trejo is part of El Monte Union High School District’s newly launched afterschool Sports Medicine program where students are taught a wide range of practices and rehab procedures.