Making (Health) Histories Every Year
July 23, 2015
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
Tom Minter, recently retired from the MHSAA as assistant director, wore many hats while serving the Association and donned official’s gear in numerous sports outside of business hours.
But one of his finest refereeing efforts might have come during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years when he guided approximately 60 individuals representing 25 medical and professional organizations through an arduous process to upgrade the antiquated Physical Form to what is the standard today: the Pre-participation Physical Examination/Health History Form.
The form highlighted Stage 1 of the MHSAA’s 4 Hs of Health and Safety – Health Histories – and the current form is much more comprehensive, answering questions previously not asked during the quicker, more brief, evaluations.
Sudden cardiac death claims the lives of more than 300 Michigan children and young adults between the ages of 1-39 years annually. Yet, many of these deaths could be prevented through screening, detection, and treatment. One such way to detect high risk conditions that predispose to SCDY is through pre-participation sports screening of student-athletes, and the current physical form provides a mechanism.
While much more detailed, schools report that parents are more than willing to take the extra time and effort to complete the lengthier version.
“When the expanded form came out, people kiddingly made comments about its length; yet in today's day and age everyone understands we need all the information we can cultivate regarding health histories of our student athletes,” said Mark Mattson, athletic director at Traverse City Central.
Down state, feelings have been similar. “We don’t have a problem at all here,” said Anna Devitt, athletic secretary at Hartland High School. “Our parents take care of it, and haven’t balked at the length at all.”
Both agree, and are joined by many others across the state, that the next logical step is for the form to be converted to a fillable, online document so that records can be accessed by those in need via mobile, laptop or desktop.
Thus, in the “No H left behind” mantra that the MHSAA has assumed, an electronic option of the Health History form is in the early planning stages.
“As an increasing number of our schools strive to be ‘paper-free,’ or at least as much so as possible, it is time to re-invent the delivery method for perhaps our most downloaded or distributed document,” MHSAA Executive Director Jack Roberts said. “Once again, as we move forward with our ‘Heart’ initiative for the coming school year, we are also intent on bringing other projects up to speed.”
The masses are certainly enthused.
“That would be heavenly. An online version that would prevent people from submitting the forms until all the required information was in place would be fantastic,” said Mattson, who has had to turn back, or hold out students while waiting for completed forms, whether at Marquette, Maple City Glen Lake, or his current post in Traverse City. “It’s always been the same; people move too quickly and overlook required fields. It would prevent two things: one, having to hold kids out while waiting for a signature, and two, prevent parents from having to drive in to the athletic office to sign or fill in that last field. We’d know we were getting a completed form.”
At Hartland, where athletic director Jason Reck created an online emergency contact form, a system is in place which allows coaches, administrators and trainers to share necessary data for all student-athletes in addition to the MHSAA forms.
“Our parents love the online emergency contact form, and we require them to fill it out every season, not just once a year,” Devitt said. “Sometimes an athlete gets injured during one season and the next season's coach wants to know about it.”
The information on the form is populated into an Excel spreadsheet which Reck, Devitt, the school trainer and all coaches can access. They can tailor the data by sport and pull it to their mobile devices.
“We’re trying to go completely paperless, and the MHSAA physical form would be another step,” Devitt said. “Our parents and doctor’s offices would love it.”
MHSA(Q&)A: Beal City volleyball coach Kelly David
October 6, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
When people in Michigan’s volleyball community hear the name Kelly David, they might think first of the standout from just a few seasons ago. A four-sport standout for the Aggies, she set the volleyball team into the 2009 Class D Semifinals before going on to play at St. Clair Community College.
David, 20, graduated from high school a little more than two years ago, but is continuing to have an impact on the volleyball court – although now from the sideline as coach of the No. 3-ranked team in Class D. She took over the Beal City program this fall from her former coach, Randy Gallagher and has the Aggies 26-5-1.
Coaching has come naturally for the former floor leader, who already has gained valuable experiences and knowledge to share with her players. She previously coached at the junior high and club levels, the former for her aunt Sue Frederiksen – who coaches Almont’s varsity and is a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
David is majoring in elementary education at Central Michigan University and sees teaching and coaching in her future for many years to come.
Why did you decide to become a coach?
I played at St. Clair (Community College) for two years, and my aunt had always been into coaching. I ended up coaching her seventh grade volleyball team for two years, and I coached in the Skippers AAU program over there. I found out I liked coaching more than playing.
How have you approached coaching a team that includes players who were freshmen when you were a senior in high school?
Going into it, I knew I wasn’t their friend; I was their coach. I wasn’t close to any of the girls except my sister (Monica, a senior). The people who coached me or were my teachers, (who said) go to class, do this, and you knew they received ultimate respect. I had helped out in previous years, and I knew what I had to do to gain that respect. And (my players) have listened to me.
Did you anticipate questions about you taking over the program only a few years out of high school?
I knew in my head, but I didn’t think it would be a problem in people’s minds. "She’s young, her sister is on the team;" that’s the stuff people might second guess. But I knew how to control the team, and having my sister on it wasn’t a big teal. So far (issues) haven’t happened. I’ve coached teams in previous years, and I’d always been the leader when I did play. I think that helps.
What were your goals coming into the season?
I had a lot of goals. Obviously, I wanted us to go far, like in the past. The biggest thing I noticed playing college from high school, the players knew the game of volleyball. They were smart. They had the same athletic ability as those I played against in high school, but they were just smarter. Knowing how to position the ball on the court, knowing the game, and I wanted to teach (my players) the game of volleyball. It’s important to know the game, and then we can work around the obstacles.
What did you learn by watching your aunt coach?
Just how strong you have to be. When I watch her coach, she’s very enthusiastic. But when someone does something wrong, she lets them know. That’s an important thing.
When did you first know you were interested in coaching?
When I was in high school, when I played, I’d help the other players. I noticed that was something I liked to do. I’d watch someone and pick up things they could fix. I thought about it in high school, and once I actually did it with the seventh graders, it wasn’t a job for me. It’s fun. Coaching is something I want to do. They want to be playing volleyball – that’s why they’re on the team. Everyone wants to be there, and we’re trying to accomplish the same thing.
What has been the biggest challenge during your first season?
The biggest challenge is handling the pressure. I know the team can do well. We’re ranked third in the state right now. But it’s getting them to perform the way they can perform, getting them to come together at the right time.
I’d also like to mention that Beal City (already) had a great program, from (former coaches) Randy Gallagher and before I came, Kelly Knuth. I’m just happy to step in and try to continue what they did.
PHOTO: Beal City huddles during a break in its match against Shepherd this season. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
