Athletic trainers Chellsie Johnson, of Kelly Walsh High School, and Zachary Olivarez, of Douglas High School, have a chance to become the athletic trainer selected as the Regional Nominee for The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. The athletic trainer selected as the Regional Nominee will advance on to join other Regional Nominees from across the nation to be considered for the National Award. The Regional Nominee will be announced in the coming weeks.
In partnership with local leading orthopedic practices, such as Casper Orthopedics in Casper, The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award recognizes athletic trainers for the service and leadership they provide to local athletic communities. Nominations for the National Award are based on examples of service, leadership and shared experiences from community members, and nominees are determined regionally.
Johnson, the sole athletic trainer for Kelly Walsh High School in Casper for the last five years, serves both her school and community as an athletic trainer and sports medicine educator. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. She then went on to earn her Master of Education degree in sports administration from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where she also did an athletic training assistantship. Johnson currently serves on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association Public Relations Committee as the Wyoming representative and on the Wyoming High School Activities Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
As the athletic trainer at Douglas High School in Douglas, Olivarez works full time to keep nearly 200 student-athletes in the game. Before attending college, he served four years of active duty in the Marine Corps infantry, resulting in two deployments to Iraq. Olivarez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training from the University of Nebraska Kearney in Kearney, Nebraska, where he also completed an internship at Family Physical Therapy & Sports Center. He has served as a local athletic trainer for over four years, caring for injured athletes and educating future athletic trainers through his work.
“We feel very fortunate to work with such incredible medical professionals,” says Dr. Daniel White, fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon at Casper Orthopedics. “And we feel honored to acknowledge their efforts by partnering with The Newell Award to recognize the region’s—and potentially, the nation’s—top athletic trainers for the service and leadership they display while treating our community’s athletes.”
To learn more about The Newell Award, visit TheNewellAward.com/WyoOrtho.