May/June 2020 - 9

2020 Athletic Trainer of the Year
that Walker hopes to pay it forward to the next
generation of trainers - mentoring BYU athletic training
students and finding them work post-graduation in
addition to her involvement in writing the heat safety plan
and getting it mandated by the state of Utah.
Walker also has served in a number of leadership
positions, including two terms as the Utah Athletic
Trainers Association secretary, treasurer, and president,
respectively, among others. At Springville, Walker
transitioned into the classroom during her ninth year with
the school, teaching Emergency Medical Response and
Sports Medicine classes and has since added a Medical
Terminology course in 2018.
" It is clear that she puts in the extra effort to make
athletic training the best it can be. Lisa Walker is indeed
the MVP of Springville High School athletics, " Jill
Thackeray, physical education teacher at Springville, said
in her nomination.
Mark Padfield, Tonganoxie High School (Tonganoxie, KS)
Mark Padfield is deeply embedded in the community
of Tonganoxie High School in Tonganoxie, Kansas.
And while his work is considered second-to-none
among his co-workers and student-athletes, it's his firm
understanding of people that makes him stand out as a
high school athletic trainer.
" He knows that people are at the root of what he does.
His ability to listen and connect with those around him
have enabled Mark to better serve the individuals that
need him, " Mark Farrar, principal of Tonganoxie High
School, said in his nomination. " He builds relationships and
those relationships are what propel him above others. "
In addition to communication skills, Padfield is also
an advocate for the industry - teaching health services
classes during the school day and instructing interns in
the field during the afternoon.
Paul Rupp, Oakton High School (Vienna, VA)
Paul Rupp, MS, AT, ATC, VATL, continues to push the
boundaries of providing athletic care to student-athletes
at Oakton High School in Fairfax, Virginia. A 20-year
trainer at Oakton, Rupp has developed an outstanding
sports medicine program at the high school, including
establishing clinic hours for primary care and orthopedics
in the athletic training room. Additionally, he has arranged
for a diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound to be installed
in the room to enhance the diagnosis of injuries.
More than just raising the bar at Oakton, Rupp has
worked to better athletic care on a statewide level
- creating the Virginia Athletic Trainers' Association
(VATA) liability tool kit and serving on the High School
League Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and
Virginia Wrestling Rules Committee. He was the 2011
VATA Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year
while mentoring future athletic trainers at George
Mason University, George Washington University and
Shenandoah University.
" Paul has been a most valuable member of the Oakton
High School through his holistic care and forward
planning of that care to the student-athletes of the
school, " said Timothy Neal, MS, AT, ATC, CCISM, from
Concordia University Ann Arbor, in his nomination.
Amanda Woods, Duncan High School (Duncan, OK)
Amanda Woods is always on the clock for the
Duncan Demons. And when she can't make road
games, she always meets student-athletes at school
to provide treatments. As the only trainer for Duncan
High School in Duncan, Oklahoma, Woods oversees
all 12 athletic programs for the Demons. She also
leads a training class for the student-athletes while
working part-time at Duncan Regional Hospital.
Woods advocates for her Duncan program, speaking to
other hospitals in the state in addition to other school
administrators and athletic directors.
" I do not know what she is paid, but it is not even close
to what she deserves, " Mike Fitts, a social studies teacher
at Duncan, said.
Jenkins played a pivotal role in assuring student-athletes
receive free physicals and are meeting nutritional needs
after practice - striking up relationships with Gatorade
representatives and receiving chocolate milk grants. The
education continues off the field for student-athletes that
want a closer look at what it takes to be an athletic trainer.
Jenkins hosts an after-school athletic trainer's club that has
20 members this year - growing from five members the
first year she started.
" It all boils down to the education component, " Jenkins
said. " I'm [at the school] no matter what, but I was to
prepare you for life after the trainer's room. I'm giving you
these drills and exercises and how to progress through them
so that when you're older you can think back and recall what
I told them to do if they have an ankle injury. "
It continued by elevating the standard of her peers
in the building on best practices for dealing with heat
illness while updating the school's Emergency Action Plan
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May/June 2020

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