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 benefited from our community educational efforts:
- Hillsborough County Athletic Association, Coaches Program, USF Athletic Facility, Tampa, July 2005
- Hillsborough County Athletic Association, Coaches Program, King High School, Tampa- September 2005
- Hillsborough County Athletic Association, Coaches program, Tampa Bay Technical High School, Tampa, August 2006
- Hillsborough County Schools Physical Education and Health Teachers. Chamberlain Senior High School, Tampa, October 2006
- Pinellas County Schools at Clearwater High School, November 2006
- Pinellas County Parks and Recreation Athletics Office, Clearwater, December 2006
- Ragan Community Center, Tampa, April 2007
- Ragan Community Center, Tampa, June 2007
- New Tampa YMCA, June 2007
- Pasco County Police Athletics, July 2007
- Pasco County, River Ridge High School, New Port Richey, August 2007
In addition, physical educations 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.