Columnist Adam Candee: CCSD trying to put trainers back on fields

Adam Candee

Friday, Sept. 27, 2002 | 10:27 a.m.

Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at 259-4085 or by e-mail at candee@lasvegassun.com

Today's prep football games

All games 7 p.m. Clark at Valley

Desert Pines at Cheyenne

Coronado at Sierra Vista

Cimarron-Memorial at Eldorado

Palo Verde at Green Valley

Rancho at Bonanza

Durango at Mojave

Bishop Gorman at Centennial

Western at Foothill

Chaparral at Basic

Silverado at Chula Vista (Calif.)

Las Vegas at Leuzinger (Calif.)

Trona (Calif.) at Meadows

Moapa Valley at Boulder City

In pseudo-trainer terms, today's meeting between the Clark County School District and HealthSouth may be just an initial layer of prewrap. Or it may be a quick, effective tape job on the problem of having full-time athletic trainers at all area high schools.

Sunrise Children's Hospital announced just before the fall season's start that budget cuts would force it to end four years of providing full-time athletic trainers to some east-side area high schools. The district, facing a budget crunch of its own, could not underwrite the $175,000 cost incurred by the hospital.

But the issue might be on the way to a solution with what HealthSouth representative and Centennial athletic trainer Jim Porter called "a business for business trade" proposal.

"No additional funds from the school district are being asked," Porter said.

CCSD athletic director Larry McKay said the district budgets about $2,500 per school for athletic training.

Porter said if HealthSouth and CCSD can reach an agreement in the coming weeks, hiring full-time athletic trainers at Chaparral, Desert Pines, Eldorado, Las Vegas, Rancho, Silverado, and Valley could begin almost immediately. The HealthSouth proposal would also cover staffing for three future CCSD high schools.

Under the proposal, HealthSouth would provide athletic trainers for 20 high schools. Porter said he would likely have to step down at Centennial to adequately manage such a situation.

McKay is cautiously optimistic but isn't counting on a quick resolution. He said the meeting with HealthSouth, which currently provides trainers to the west-side schools, will lay groundwork for the future.

"I don't think we'll walk out of the meeting with a solution," McKay said. "We're at least getting a forum with the right people."

Boulder City and Vo-Tech are also affected by the hospital's budget cuts, but would not be included in the current proposal.

McKay said HealthSouth is already offering some services -- such as free Saturday walk-in clinic visits for district athletes -- to help offset the loss of athletic trainers.

The district still provides either an athletic trainer or on-site ambulance at football games.

"We've got at least a minimal standard of care," McKay said. "It's kind of a Band-Aid approach at this point."

Here's hoping the Band-Aid becomes a well-set cast sometime soon.

Getting the ball to those offensive threats is another matter, though, and Green Valley 6-foot-10 post Mitch Platt will take up the task starting next season.

Platt, a first-team All-Sunrise pick last year, gave an oral commitment Thursday to coach Ernie Kent and the Ducks. Jim Allen, Platt's coach at Green Valley, said Oregon's need and Platt's strength made for a perfect match.

"They have a place for him in their program," Allen said. "A big man who can pass the ball."

Allen added: "He really liked the guys when he went up there on his visit."

An up-and-coming Pac-10 program, Oregon reached the Midwest regional final in last year's NCAA Tournament before losing to Kansas.

Platt, who began to make a name for himself with a strong showing at the Big Time Tournament, also considered Arizona State, Texas Tech, Utah and San Diego State.

I just wanted to take a few column inches to introduce myself to the greater Las Vegas community .... so Hi. I spent the past six years in Flagstaff, Ariz., home of the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks and some of the most gorgeous mountain country you will ever find.

Before that, I lived in Las Vegas (since 1989) after moving from my native New York. Now, I am ready to dive headlong into the prep sports pool, and I look forward to meeting all the great players, coaches, administrators, parents -- and most importantly, the people -- who make it all happen.