Marysville High School athletic trainers Darren Clancy, left, and Ashley Dutcher inventory supplies they will need to keep Monarch athletes healthy during the 2019-2020 school year.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Although preseason practices for Ohio high school sports began only last Thursday, the Memorial Health/Marysville High School training staff has been pretty busy for much of the summer.
Trainers Darren Clancy and Ashley Dutcher implemented a new policy in their quest to keep Monarch athletes healthy.
“It’s been a pretty busy summer,” said Clancy, who has served as MHS’ head trainer for 25 years. “Either Ashley or I or both of us were in the training room throughout the summer break as teams went through camps and off-season activities.”
“We’ve changed our approach and it’s something we’ve wanted to do for the past few years,” said Dutcher, who is in her eighth year as an MHS trainer.
In the past, Clancy and Dutcher spent their summers assisting physical therapists with clients in the Memorial Health clinic, which is located in City Gate. That did not leave much time for summer work with MHS athletes.
Some additional personnel hirings at the clinic have enabled Clancy and Dutcher to devote their time to the training room at the high school.
An athletic trainer, Emily Gorenflo, has been hired to take up the duties at the clinic.
“I think our services are better utilized at the high school during the summer,” said Dutcher.
“It’s been a better way for some of the younger athletes,” said Clancy. “We’ve become familiar faces to them before the start of practice.”
In past years, Dutcher has worked at both the clinic and school.
“Since Emily was hired at the clinic, Ashley can be here full-time, instead of splitting time at the clinic,” said Clancy.
“We need two trainers here (at the school) from a numbers standpoint.”
There have been times in the past in which Clancy’s time was stretched to the limit as he was by himself at MHS.
“Ashley has had to do a couple of tours at North Union and one at Jonathan Alder to cover for their training services,” he said.
Clancy said working in the school’s training room during the summer helps the pair keep better tabs on the health needs of Monarch athletes.
“We can do some rehabs and evaluations on athletes during the summer,” he said. “That way, we don’t have a lot of athletes lined up outside our door on the first day of practice.”
In year’s past, Clancy and Dutcher might have been faced with upwards to 10 athletes waiting on them for treatment during the first day of the preseason.
“I think we’ve seen three so far today,” said Dutcher on the morning of the first official day of practice. “Two of those were for tape jobs.”
Clancy and Dutcher were in the training room on average three days a week during the summer.
They alternated much of their vacation time and the room went unmanned for only a brief period during the off-season.
“We were kept pretty busy this summer,” said Dutcher, adding the trainers saw between 40 and 50 athletes for various types of treatment.
“We feel that Marysville athletes are healthier now at this stage than in past years,” said Clancy.
With the beginning of preseason practices for fall sports, the summer is basically over for both Clancy and Dutcher.
“We are in two-a-day fashion,” said Clancy. “There are going to be some long days for the next 10.”
Dutcher said the training staff will basically be available to athletes from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day.
“We’ve kind of worked a split-shift type of setup in order that both of us can get away from the office for a little bit each day,” she said.
“We’re just getting back into our ‘in-season’ routine.”
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