Athletic Training Clinic helps basketball team quickly recover between tournament games

When Roland Watts talks about the need for athletes to take care of their bodies, he speaks from experience.

The head coach of the boys basketball program at Randolph Southern played the game himself at the collegiate and professional levels before spending more than 10 years coaching at various colleges and high schools.

He knows the toll all those practices and games can have on the body, especially at season's end when an athlete needs to be at their best for tournament play.

"You've got to maintain the ability to compete at a high level," Watts said. "A lot of people don't understand proper recovery is just as important as sleeping. You've got to live in the athletic training room. There's nothing like having fresh legs."

It was with that thought in mind that Watts brought his team to the Reid Health Athletic Training Clinic during tournament play.

Watts, who likes to run around with his players during practices, had been using the clinic himself throughout the season as a participant in Reid's Active Lifestyle program, helping him keep pace with his athletes.

"We love having coaches coming into the Athletic Training Clinic," said Jesse Tittle, Sports Medicine Outreach Manager for Reid Health. "When the coach knows the proper way to take care of themselves and passes that on to their athletes, it benefits everyone involved.

"The ATClinic's services are available to a wide variety of people. You don't have to be a student-athlete to come here. If you have a setback or if you just need to recover as a physically active person, we can help you here."

"I know how important it is to recover. In basketball, your legs are your money-makers. You've got to take care of them. We were going to be playing back-to-back, and I wanted to make sure the guys were fresh." -- Roland Watts, Randolph Southern boys basketball coach

Thrilled with how much the ATClinic had helped him, Watts knew the certified athletic trainers could do more than just help with injuries.

"I know how important it is to recover," Watts said. "In basketball, your legs are your money-makers. You've got to take care of them. We were going to be playing back-to-back, and I wanted to make sure the guys were fresh."

Between the results he's seen personally and with his team, Watts plans on using the ATClinic more often during future seasons.

"Everybody there has been very welcoming. I've really enjoyed working with them," Watts said. "I definitely plan on taking advantage of it a lot more going forward."

The Athletic Training Clinic can be found at the Reid Health Comprehensive Bone & Joint Center, 1400 Highland Road in Richmond. It's open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Reid's Sports Medicine services include the certified athletic trainers as well as Sports Medicine Family Physician Brayton Kiedrowski, DO, and Sports Medicine Surgeon James Redshaw, MD. To learn more about the services offered or to schedule an appointment to meet with an athletic trainer, call (765) 973-8057.