Redmond High School’s athletic trainer was recently honored for keeping Panther athletes safe.

Cari Wood picked up the Safe Sports School Award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. According to a news release, the award recognizes the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention and treatment.

The honor will serve as a tool to promote safety in school sports, said Wood, who has been an athletic trainer for 24 years, the last 23 at Redmond. Wood also works with Desert Orthopedics, which pays for the full-time athletic training positions at Redmond and Ridgeview.

“It’s a pretty cool set up, and such a great service to the community and schools provided by Desert Orthopedics,” Wood said in an email.

Less than 40 percent of Oregon high schools have athletic trainers, a number Wood would like to see grow much higher.

“Schools in Oregon who do not have an athletic trainer should do everything they can to find a way to hire one,” she said. “It is the single best way to keep kids safe in sports.”

Wood’s position covers 35 teams at Redmond High. She has also worked with athletes in cycling, rodeo, college lacrosse, rock climbing and other sports. Wood said her duties involve the “emergency care, prevention, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses that occur to the active population.”

Wood is the only athletic trainer at Redmond High who handles patient care, though she has a couple students who job shadow her.

Wood wanted to work in a medical field since she was in high school.

“When I found that there was a medical career that worked in the athletic arena, I was sold,” she said. “I’ve always been a huge sports fan.”

The key to being successful as an athletic trainer is to be flexible, Wood said. They have to deal with anything from potential life-threatening injuries, to broken fingernails, to calling lightning delays.

“I explain to my students, who ask about the career, that sometimes it may appear from the outside that all that I do is apply simple taping procedures or put ice on an injuries every day, because that’s what the public sees the most,” she said. “But, when I’m watching a practice or game, in the back of my mind, I’m preparing for the worst possible scenario, such as a cervical spine injury, heart failure, compound fracture, or head injury-unconsciousness and mentally reviewing protocols for handling these types of situations. I can’t just enjoy a sporting event — I’m always on guard!”

The most rewarding part of the job for Wood is to see an athlete be successful after coming back from an injury she helped “fix,” she said.

“To be able to be involved from the moment they get injured, to the immediate care, diagnosis, rehabilitation, return to play, and ultimately, success, is such a great feeling,” Wood said. “Nothing is better than getting a thank you after a touchdown or home run from an athlete you have been working with after injury!”

Panthers junior running back Colton Mortenson said having a trainer available is very helpful in dealing with injuries.

“There were times where I thought I would be out for a while, and I was able to play Friday because of her,” he said. “Without her, that would be tough.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com