S.M.A.R.T. Community Education
Whether you're a professional, amateur, student athlete or a weekend warrior, SMART provides the coverage needed at any level for any sport. Here are some of the events in Hillsborough County that SMART has provided safety coverage for.
Members of the SMART Institute have reached into the community to educate hundreds of coaches, parents, teachers, and supervisors of children who play sports. Through the nationally certified sports safety course "PREPARE", one by one ball fields across the Tampa Bay community are becoming safer places to play.
The following organizations have recently benefit from our community educational efforts:
- Pasco County Teachers, Sports Medicine Update, New Port Richey, FL August 2009
- Synergy Volleyball Organization, Prevent Injury Enhance Performance (PEP), an ACL injury prevention program, Brandon FL February, 2010
- Brandon Youth Bulls Hockey Association, Fitness Testing, Brandon, FL February, 2010
- Met Life Health Fair, Tampa, FL February, 2010
- USA Hockey Clinic, Sports Performance, Sports Safety and Sportsmanship Display, Clearwater, FL March, 2010
- Brandon Youth Bulls Hockey Organization, Strength and Conditioning for Youth Hockey, Brandon, FL April, 2010
- Southern Wine and Spirits, Health Fair, Lakeland Florida, May, 2010
- TECO, Heat Illness, Brandon, FL July, 2010
- Brandon Cowboys, American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid and CPR Course, Tampa, FL July, 2010
In addition, physical education safety courses have been taught to educators throughout our community. In August 2007, Barbara Morris, the assistant director for SMART, and Rani Gereige, MD, spoke to approximately 550 K-12 physical educators from Pinellas County about general medicine conditions and physical education safety.
Beat the Heat Summit
In July of 2007, Eric Coris, MD, team physician for the USF Bulls, Steve Walz, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine for USF and a certified athletic trainer, and Todd Toriscelli, head athletic trainer with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, teamed up with the support of the SMART Institute to present a community awareness program for coaches targeted toward heat illness prevention. This timely program educated participants on prevention tips associated with dehydration, warning signs of heat illness, and emergency medical management of a heat related illness.