Closer Look: Radio Interview with The Center Foundation Introduction This past fall, our very own Stuart Schmidt, Program Manager and Head Athletic Trainer for The Center Foundation was interviewed Jeanice Lee from K-LOVE and Air1 Radio for Closer Look. Closer Look is a weekly program that interviews local community groups making a difference in Central Oregon.  Please listen in to enjoy a captivating conversation about the history of The Center Foundation, our keystone programs including the flagship sports medicine outreach program which provide athletic trainers to eight local high s ..read more

Youth Injuries and Mental Health Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash Jon Skau, Crook County High School Athletic Trainer talks about his perspective for keeping mental health in mind while treating injuries and interacting with youth on a daily basis. In life there are a few things that absolutely nobody can avoid, like death and taxes. In the world of sports, its injuries. If you play any sport long enough an injury is likely to occur at some point along the way. If you are around competitive sports enough, you may notice that there seems to be  that one person who always seems to be&nb ..read more

What is an Ankle Sprain? What to Expect from your Athletic Trainer You’ve heard it before. “I rolled my ankle.” But what does that mean? A ‘rolled ankle’ otherwise known as an ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries experienced while playing sports. When your child’s school  ‘rolls’ or sprains their ankle, here is what to expect from the athletic trainer at your school taking care of your child’s injury. Anatomy of an Ankle Sprain The two most commonly injured ligaments injured in a lateral ankle sprain, the most common type of ankle injury, are the anterior talofibular (ATF) liga ..read more

Mindfulness and Meditation: Strategies to Reduce Stress and Injury in Athletes Most, if not all athletes experience some sort of stress or anxiety before games that may decrease their ability perform at their best. Learning how to channel this stress and/or anxiety can help with focus, sport performance, and injury reduction.  In addition most athletes also have stressors in their personal lives such as school and work. Stress can be described as an unpleasant emotional state or condition characterized by feelings of tension, apprehension, and worry (2). Mindfulness and meditation is a s ..read more

Burn Injuries – Know what to do when turkey frying goes wrong! If you’ve never tried a deep-fried turkey, you don’t know what you are missing out on! In addition to being absolutely delicious, it only takes a fraction of the time to cook as an oven roasted turkey. However, the benefits do come with risk. According to the National Fire Protection Association when turkey frying goes wrong it causes an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries, and more than $15 million in property damage each year. So, unless you’ve invited your local Athletic Trainer over for Thanksgiving Dinner, make sure you read be ..read more

Sisters High School Athletic Trainer Alex Walker on what it means to be a high school athletic trainer.  What does it mean to have an Athletic Trainer (AT) at your school? An Athletic Trainer (AT) is an allied healthcare professional who cares for athletes during every practice and game.  Athletic Trainers treat and manageemergent, acute, and chronic injuries and medical conditions through examination, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Additionally, injury prevention is a key aspect of the work we do. Part of preventing injuries, is working to ensure the conditions that athl ..read more

  We are pleased to announce Sandy Visnack as the new Executive Director of The Center Foundation. Visnack brings over two decades of nonprofit management and fundraising experience, working in leadership roles as Executive Director, Development Director and Communications Director for nonprofit organizations serving youth and families in Oregon and Colorado. With her deep commitment to Central Oregon youth and demonstrated leadership, Visnack will help The Center Foundation move forward in its mission to keep kids healthy and safe in Central Oregon.   “The work of The Center Founda ..read more

The 2021-22 school year is underway and fall sports are back! We are excited to kick off a new year and continue to provide athletic trainers to local high schools to keep kids safe. This fall, look for us in your high school athletic training room where we will be on a daily basis providing onsite injury prevention and treatment services for YOUR student athlete. Caldera Campaign We are thrilled to announce that our program includes the newest school in Bend, Caldera High School, home of the Wolfpack! This fall, Emily Celner joins our team as the athletic trainer at Caldera. Please stop by t ..read more

Do you wonder about the credentials of the person rehabbing your young athlete’s strained hamstring? Or, maybe you’re curious about what regulatory oversight there is for the medical professional on the sports field with your high school athlete? What are the athletic training education requirements for 2021, and how does one become an athletic trainer, anyway? ATHLETIC TRAINING EDUCATION BASICS Education for athletic trainers strives to create highly skilled and knowledgeable allied healthcare professionals. To achieve this, athletic training education requires at least a bachelor’s d ..read more

Our grade school outreach program, Train Your Brain, brings brain safety education to third grade classrooms across Central Oregon. Each year, we visit every third grade classroom in Central Oregon, delivering a fun, educational presentation on the importance of preventing brain injuries. We focus on helmet safety, care and fitting of a multi-sport helmet. In addtion, the presentation caps off with our famous melon drop demonstration to highlight the importance of wearing a helmet. At the conclusion of the presentation, we give out and properly fit multi-sport helmets for every kid that needs ..read more