Apex High School offers a variety of programs for students to get involved in. Among those is the sports medicine program. I have had the pleasure of being a part of this program for the past two years, and I think it is an amazing program. Since that is my personal opinion, I thought it would be fun to see what others think of it. I also wanted to use this article to tell you all more about it and hopefully get you to want to be a part of the program too!

First off, you should know some background about the program. It is taught by Mr. Miles Kliewer,the head athletic trainer at Apex High. He has been teaching at Apex for over twenty-five  years and is very passionate about what he does. In order to be a part of the sports medicine program at Apex, you must be at least a sophomore and have the room in your schedule to take both Sports Medicine I and Sports Medicine II in the same year. The majority of credit that you earn in this class comes from the after-school hours you put in. You choose a sport for each season -fall, winter, and spring- and you bring water to the players of the team. If they are injured, you either do what you can to help, or if it is serious, you call Mr. Kliewer over. If you can not stay after school for at least three days a week for a sports practice, then this class probably isn’t the one for you. 

In sports medicine you learn about sports related injuries as well as things like CPR, first-aid, and how an AED works. You also get to choose the sports teams that you work with for each season throughout the year. I asked some of the students in the class why they chose the sport they did, and Jasmyn Judd responded with “I have chosen to do men’s soccer, men’s basketball, and men’s lacrosse. I have been a part of the men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse teams for two years as a manager. Being around a team for so long, you build a connection with the players”. If you are a player on a sports team, you can still be involved in the sports medicine program, you would just have to be the athletic trainer for your sports team. For games, all sports medicine students wear uniforms to look professional. This uniform includes a polo with the Apex Athletic Training logo on the front, along with khaki shorts or pants. 

Now that you know some more about what the Sports Medicine class entails, I want to tell you about the class from the viewpoint of some of the students. I asked the students why they decided to be in the class, and Jessie Guemple responded by saying, “I decided to do sports medicine because I am interested in the medical field. This class is helping me decide whether or not that is realistic in my future”. 

When I decided to be in the sports medicine program, I thought the same thing, and that is why I chose to do it. I also asked what another student thought of the sports medicine program at Apex High School, and Sophie Moncrief said, “I love the Apex Sports Medicine program. I think we’re super fortunate to have such a great program, and I am so glad I signed up for it!” 

I was also curious to know if the students in Sports Medicine I/II would do it next year, and if the students in III/IV would continue to help out next year despite not being in the class anymore. Sophomore Gabriella Imbriani who is in Sports Medicine I/II said, “Yes I will do it again next year”. Junior Jasmyn Judd who is in Sports Medicine III/V responded by saying, “I do plan to help out when I am able to and am welcomed. Sports med has been apart of my life and high school experience for two years; it would be hard to just stop”. I am a junior this year in Sports Medicine III/IV and agree with what Jasmyn said because I enjoy being out on the field with the athletes and the energy that goes along with that. In the class I like to think of all of us as a little family, because we spend so much time together and since there are so few of us; thirteen to be exact. I asked everyone what they thought the atmosphere of the class was like, and Jennifer Pfannenschmidt responded by saying, “The atmosphere is welcoming, understanding, and wanting to learn.  Everyone gets along, and throughout the year we know each other better”. I completely agree with what she had to say about it. 

I hope by reading this you got some more information about the Apex High sports medicine program and will consider joining it. I personally love it, and by talking with the other students in the class, I learned that they felt the same way. So if you are interested in the medical field, you should check out the Sports Medicine program!