The noise of athletes and the smell of crushed ice fills the room as Kyle Rabuck, trainer, starts his workday. The overlapping chatter of upcoming games and athletes embracing injuries echoes from down the hall. Bouncing basketballs and baseballs hitting metal bats reverberatesin gyms nearby.
High school trainers give exercises and advice to young athletes to help them stay healthy during their various sports. Rabuck gives different stretching exercises and reminds them, “Sleep is the biggest predictor of injury,” in an attempt to make sure the athletes at Homestead are doing what they can to stay healthy.
Along with his knowledge inside the training room, Rabuck also emphasizes the importance of nutrition and healthy eating habits. He is known to tell his athletes, “Diet and hydration are very important for injury prevention and performance. The nutrients you intake are the fuel for your body. Put bad food in your body, and expect bad performance out of your body.”
His knowledge and advice has caused him to not only help the athletes on the field, but also create relationships with them off the field.
One certain athlete Rabuck has treated in the past four years at Homestead has been Jackson Brewer, senior, who will be attending Columbia University next year to play baseball.
Brewer also stresses the importance of taking care of his body, whether that is in the weight room, getting enough sleep or even eating the right things. When asked about how as an athlete he prevents injury in season, Brewer replies, “As an athlete, I make sure that in season I am stretching as much as possible. Most of the injuries I encounter deal with muscles that are
tight and haven’t been stretched out properly either before games or practices.”
Like Brewer, another athlete, Austin Krueger, senior who will be attending the University of Florida next fall, and most likely trying out for the club lacrosse team stresses the importance of staying healthy in and out of season. When asked how he prevents injuries, he shares, “I have created a dedicated stretching regime in order to prevent as many injuries as possible. I go from legs and hamstrings to back and arms.”
Krueger’s focus on stretching to prevent injuries has helped their lacrosse team out with only one loss so far in their spring season.
Yet, stretching isn’t the only aspect in preventing injury during sports seasons. Rabuck also stresses the importance of getting enough sleep every night in attempts to decrease the possibility of injury. When asked about how sleep affects chances of injury, Rabuck responds, “The chances of injury at least double with six to seven hours of sleep versus eight to nine
hours. Sleep helps your body recover, as well as improves coordination and focus.”
As Brewer hopes to help lead his team this year to the goals they have set forth, he emphasizes how important sleep is in his daily routine of staying injury free. Brewer says, “I think it is important because if I have a game the next day and I don’t get the proper amount of sleep, I feel tired throughout the day and leading up to the game, I don’t feel like I can perform to the best of my abilities for my team and I feel like I can get injured easier.”
Looking into Krueger’s aspect of sleep, he says, “Sleep is what keeps your mind sharp and your body healed. Without proper sleep, injuries can occur so much faster.”
