Knightly News

If you’ve ever watched a sporting event and witnessed a player injury, you’ve likely noticed the team of professionals who quickly spring into action to assist. Episcopal student athletes count on that same quick response from Athletic Trainer Dean Mannina. While Mannina is a familiar face around the Episcopal Field House, many do not realize the scope of work performed by an athletic trainer.

Mannina says an athletic trainer’s job is the “prevention, evaluation and rehabilitation of athletic injury and illness.” The scope is broad and includes everything from taping athletes to teaching proper exercises for injury prevention and rehab. Recently, the role of athletic trainer has also encompassed an athletic response to COVID-19. Early on, Mannina was a part of the Episcopal Health and Wellness Committee, which was established to mitigate risk for students, including students in an athletic setting. After the general student body was off campus for many months in 2020, it was the athletes who first returned under the watchful eye of Mannina. With protocols in place and a shared commitment to the team, the athletes did well. “We were proud of the ability to have practice with no problem,” says Mannina.

While this is the first pandemic Mannina and the rest of us have experienced, Mannina has seen a lot in his 23-year career. Sixteen of those years have been with the Knights, where he provides coverage for all sports. Mannina is the designated athletic trainer for the annual Knights Round Table Run, which is scheduled for September 11th at Highland Road Park. Before joining the Knights, Mannina was the Assistant Athletic Trainer for Southeastern Louisiana University football and basketball. He also spent two years as an athletic trainer and teacher at St. Charles Catholic High School. In addition to decades of experience, Mannina is state licensed and accredited by the Louisiana Athletic Trainer’s Association and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

With all of his experience and training, Mannina says the best tool he has as an athletic trainer is knowledge. “I do a lot of educating,” he says of his role with athletes. “It’s a lot of knowing when to refer for evaluation and a lot of trying to figure out the next step to return safely.” At Episcopal, the athletic trainer’s toolkit also includes a range of other options. Athletes involved with all sports have the opportunity to soak in the hot/cold tubs in the new Episcopal Field House. Mannina says the cold tub has gained popularity among the students for post-practice recovery and rehab efforts. He also uses the wet bulb globe temperature monitor to keep track of Louisiana’s temperatures, humidity, wind speed and ground radiation to monitor outdoor conditions to ensure player safety. Each year, he works with physicians and staff at the Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic Foundation and the Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology Foundation to schedule student physicals. Mannina says having the resources to address player safety is important to the overall athletic program. “It’s a great investment to our athletes.”

Athletic Director Randy Richard agrees and adds that the athletic trainer plays a huge role in player safety. “Athletic trainers are qualified in multiple skills, making them essential in the healthcare of student-athletes,” he says. “When sports are happening, injury is always a possibility, so having one person over that raises our coaches, student-athletes, and family's trust and familiarity in our process of caring for our community. For Episcopal to recognize the importance of that role and to provide it for our athletic department and our students shows one more reason parents choose Episcopal to care for their child.”

Over the course of his career, Mannina has cared for hundreds of athletes. What’s his favorite part? “The interactions with different teams are most enjoyable,” he says. “I like to watch how the teams come together. My role helps teams be the best that they can be.”

As the fall sports season gets underway, there’s no doubt Mannina will be a key component of student athletic success. Join us in thanking him for supporting our Knights and helping them achieve.

Share a message of thanks with Dean in the comments below.

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