Principals, coaches, athletic trainers and guidance counselors from Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) attended the first-ever Sport Management and Medicine Conference at Jacksonville University, where they learned about NCAA compliance issues, sports media and injury prevention. The conference gave the Duval County attendees a chance to meet with sports columnists, editors, commentators, coaches and other key professionals in the athletic industry.
DCPS' guidance counselors received one-on-one training dealing with new NCAA standards, teaching them how to help their high school students as they seek athletic opportunities in college. DCPS' coaches sat down with a sports media panel discussing prominent issues in the news today. Common topics included how social media can make or break a student-athlete's career and the issue of whether student-athletes ought to be paid. The Duval County high school athletic trainers benefited from various breakout sessions on women's issues in sports as well.
All attendees enjoyed a complimentary lunch with keynote speaker and Jacksonville University's head football coach, Kerwin Bell.
The day's activities concluded with an on-field football coaching clinic for DCPS' high school coaches where they learned special techniques for protecting athletes, such as injury prevention, concussion prevention and awareness, and environmental awareness. Groups rotated between demonstrations that provided guidance, tips, and various strength and conditioning drills used in the Jacksonville University football program. By the end of the on-field clinic, each coach also received official CPR certification.
Special thanks go out to the graduate students and related staff at Jacksonville University for hosting this one-of-a-kind event for the DCPS' staff. Thank you to Jon Fox, District Athletic Director, and Bob Sefcik, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program, for volunteering to help coordinate this program with the district. To view pictures from the Sport Management and Medicine Conference, visit the
DCPS' Flickr photostream.
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