Conejo District Specializes in Developing Trainers

In 1983, a coach’s job in the Conejo Valley Unified School District entailed teaching not only the finer points of offense and defense but how to tape sprained ankles and treat minor injuries.

“We would send students to a . . . clinic for students that were interested in the manager-trainer program,” said Frank Greminger, head football coach at Agoura High since 1969. “We would then help them. But we weren’t really trainers.”

This procedure was standard until 1984 when Tamra Oliner moved from Florida to Thousand Oaks.

Oliner, 30, who worked as assistant women’s athletic trainer at Florida State, along with Melvin Hayashi, an orthopedic surgeon from Hawaii, initiated a program in which high school students are taught to be athletic trainers. According to Oliner and Hayashi, the program is the only one of its kind in California.

“I could see that there was a place for something like this,” Hayashi, 49, said. “The coaches haven’t officially been trained and can’t spend as much time with the injured athlete.”

Oliner is now athletic trainer for the Conejo Valley school district and for Agoura High in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Her program is taught to 30 students at four high schools--Agoura, Newbury Park, Westlake and Thousand Oaks.

“We are one of the few school districts that has someone on staff as a consultant for athletic training,” Oliner said. “At a lot of other school districts in the state, what they have going on is sports-medicine clinics.”

Oliner’s program involves classroom instruction two nights a week, practicum on a day-to-day basis with athletes after school and clinics on Saturday mornings at the Thousand Oaks physical therapy department where Oliner works.

The student trainer also travels with the team, helps administer physicals and tapes athletes before games.

Oliner encourages her students to take first aid courses and trains them in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“They know how to do some rehabilitation and strengthening techniques. It increases the healing time,” Oliner said.

Greminger said that Oliner’s program has helped cut back on the number of injuries.

“It takes a big load off our coaches,” Greminger said. “In the last three or four years we haven’t had a kid out due to a knee (injury). We had one kid miss because of a broken finger in practice.”

Said Oliner: “We’re not here to sit on the sideline and wait for an injury to happen.”

This year, the program has enabled student trainers to witness outpatient surgery, attend sports medicine and strengthening seminars and work with the trainers at Moorpark College.

Vance Manakas, trainer at Moorpark since 1981, said that the program offers the student valuable and practical experience.

“Many four-year colleges require students to have some training prior to getting into the training program,” Manakas said. “Most high school students don’t have certified trainers to give them that experience.”

Last summer, Oliner’s students worked with Manakas’ staff during football training camp.

“They are pretty good in recognizing if they can take care of it (an injury) or if it’s a situation which needs calling the paramedics,” Oliner said.

Oliner said that the program also gives students a chance to get “exposure to the medical environment,” before they enter college.

Many of Oliner’s students plan to pursue a career in medicine and think that the program gives them an edge over other medical students.

“It gives me more knowledge and it helps me to decide whether I want to do this (pursue a career in medicine) or not, “ said Shannon Maxfield, a Westlake junior who is in her third year in Oliner’s program.

Graduates of Oliner’s program include assistant trainers at Brigham Young, Texas Christian, San Diego State and UCLA.

Establishing credibility is the first task of Oliner’s students.

“One of the problems that we face is lack of recognition by coaches and athletes. My feeling is we’re part of the team, but it isn’t always looked upon it that way,” Oliner said. “When I first started with the program my problem was with the coaches. I had to . . . prove that I could do the job.”

Adam Gassel, a junior at Westlake High and a three-year student in Oliner’s program, finds the program tough but rewarding.

“We’re looked at as skilled workers (by the coaches and athletes),” Gassel said. “If you take it seriously they will take you seriously.”

Despite the lack of recognition, Oliner enjoys her job.

“I feel if I can teach them to be responsible and accountable for their own actions, whether it’s in the program or in their daily life, I feel I have done my job. That’s the hardest part of my job,” Oliner said.