Issaquah Sports Med Team "tops" in state contest

While sports medicine is usually about remaining on the sidelines, Issaquah High students "took the field" in their own unique competition recently to prove they are among the best high school sports medicine practitioners in the country.

On April 27, the Issaquah High team won third place overall in the 14th-annual Washington Vocational Sports Medicine Association (WVSMA) Competition at Kentlake High School in Kent. Out of 500 participants, student Nicole Larson won the individual championship and Top Senior Award; student Aaron Dean placed in the top 10 for individual scoring; and every Issaquah team member placed in the top 50 overall.

The two-pronged competition has students demonstrate their skills (taping an ankle or hand) in a practical assessment and show their depth of knowledge (how to design a proper nutrition plan for an athlete) in a written assessment.

This year, the exam was written by a test writer from the National Athletic Training Association and was more difficult than ever before-and that's on top of the fact that the Washington competition is considered among the most difficult in the United States, drawing schools from Texas, Kentucky, Kansas, California and Oregon to vie for the title, according to Issaquah High sports medicine teacher Todd Parsons.

That means the Issaquah High team is darn near the best in the country-and Top Senior Nicole Larson just might be!

"These students did a great job representing Issaquah in arguably the most difficult competition for Sports Medicine in the nation," Parsons said. "I'm very proud of them."

The Issaquah Sports Med team members were: Nicole Larson, Aaron Dean, Lauren (Tygger) Maris, Aubrey Jensen, Pip Herman, Allie Winkler, Lauren Kamitsuka, Jared Warren, Bryce Bushlach, Mikaela Hodgins, and Jason Gilluly.

Pictures:	Above, top left: Aaron Dean and Nicole Larson with trophies.
	Above, right: Allie Winkler treats an injury.