NORTHERN SUN INTERCOLLEGIATE CONFERENCE
ATHLETIC TRAINERS HANDBOOK
2016-17 EDITION
I.
General Procedures
A. All member institutions shall have a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer on staff under the supervision
of a Medical Doctor.
B. All Conference Certified Athletic Trainers will adhere strictly to the National Athletic Trainers’
Association Code of Professional Conduct at all times.
C. The NSIC Conference members agree with and will adhere to the recommended guidelines in the
NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook.
D. The host institution shall provide a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer for all conference events and is
highly recommended for golf. For the sport of tennis all schools are required to provide an
athletic trainer at their home events, including the dual matches the host institution is not
participating in.
E. The host institution shall provide adequate facilities and services for visiting Athletic Trainers so
that they can work comfortably.
F. Athletic training room facilities of the host institution shall be available to the visiting team for all
contests and practices.
G. The host Athletic Trainer shall, before a conference event, inform all visiting Athletic
Trainers/coaches as to the location of ambulance, athletic training room, water supply, emergency
equipment, doctor and athletic training room availability.
H. The host institution shall have a Medical Doctor in attendance at all football games.
I. For football games, the host institution must have an ambulance on-site with an emergency plan of
action in place. For all other sports: ambulance on call.
J. For all site reversal or neutral site conference events: the home team as per the original NSIC
schedule will be considered the host institution. The host institution shall provide coverage per
the Athletic Trainer’s handbook.
K. For all conference championships: the host institution shall provide adequate facilities and
services so that all visiting Athletic Trainers can work comfortably during the Championship
event.
L. Each institution shall provide a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer at all conference football games
and at the NSIC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament.
M. All member institutions shall make every effort to furnish a Certified Athletic Trainer for the
Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championship meets.
II.
MEDICAL CHAIN OF COMMAND AND COVERAGE
A. Conference members will follow this chain of command for medical decisions at conference
competition:
1. The team or attending physician, in consultation with the team Athletic Trainer, will decide
the participation of any injured or ill athlete.
2. In the absence of a physician, the team’s Certified Athletic Trainer shall make any decision
on an injured or ill player's participation.
3. When the visiting team's Certified Athletic Trainer is not present, the host school's team
physician or Certified Athletic Trainer will provide emergency first aid and make any
participation decisions.
III.
GAME SERVICES
A. The following are required minimum standards for onsite provisions:
1. Football – sideline: 40 gallons of water, injury ice, ice bags, cups, and an evaluation
table. Locker room: 20 gallons of water, injury ice, ice bags, cups and 2 tables adequate
for taping.
2. Basketball - Five gallons of water per half, injury ice, ice bags, and three gallons of water
in the visiting locker room before the game and at half time.
3. Volleyball - Five gallons of water, injury ice, and ice bags.
4. Golf and tennis –The host Athletic Trainer will inform visiting coaches as to where
athletic training services can be reached before, during and after the event in case a
certified athletic trainer is not on site.
5. All Other Sports - Five gallons of water, injury ice, and ice bags on the sideline/dugout.
6. Wrestling - It is expected that the host institution shall provide the necessary materials
and the staffing to clean all bloodied materials, I.E. mats, towels, floors, etc…
7. Satellite and neutral site events: It is recommended additional staffing of Certified
Athletic Trainers be hired if a conference event is being conducted at off campus sites.
It is the responsibility of the host school to secure and ensure Certified Athletic Trainers
at separate sites.
B. Bio-Hazard Materials will be available at all sports contests.
C. Emergency equipment will be made available by the host team for all conference contests:
1. Crutches
2. Vacuum Splints
3. AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
4. Spine board.
D. All opposing teams are responsible for bringing any supplies necessary that are not mentioned in
this provision.
IV.
ANNUAL MEETING
Items for the agenda shall be submitted to conference office and chair for that year, one month
prior to the meeting/call. An agenda will then be prepared and sent to all conference athletic
trainers at least one week before the meeting or conference call.
V.
LIGHTNING POLICY
All institutions shall adhere to the NCAA/NSIC Lightning policy. (see appendix A)
(Appendix A)
NSIC Lightning Policy
Unquestionable, the underlying basis for decisions related to the starting, suspension and resumption of
athletics contests that may be affected by lightning and/or inclement weather is the safety and welfare
of the student-athletes and spectators. The following policies are for the purpose of providing general
direction to administrators, coaches, athletic training staff, and game officials in making these decisionsparticularly as it relates to issues of authority. Consequently, each individual institution is encouraged to
develop more detailed policies and procedures specific to their institutions unique circumstances (e.g.,
field locations, personnel).
Lightning
While lightning is the most consistent and significant weather hazard that may affect an outdoor
contest, other types of severe weather conditions (e.g. tornadoes) are not to be ignored. Education and
planning are the keys to safely dealing with lightning and inclement weather. Staff members and game
officials need to know the dangers and what their responsibilities are in the event lightning and/or
inclement weather is evident. Institutions should establish plans for the safe and efficient evacuation of
participants and spectators. Institutional policy of the host team/venue will be followed in all cases in
NSIC competition. The NSIC policy should provide a guideline for the conference, and will be followed in
the absence of institutional policy.
In relation to decisions regarding the starting, suspension, or resumption of a contest due to lightning,
the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference states the following:
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The host institution’s administration and/or athletic trainer must track storm fronts prior to
taking the field by accessing the weather via the internet, http.//www.weather.com; or NOAA
Weather Radio.
Lightning awareness should be increased with the first flash of lightning, or the first clap of
thunder, no matter how far away. Lightning and thunder activity should put athletics personnel
and administrators on alert to begin monitoring the weather closely and planning for possible
suspension of activities and safe evacuation of participants and spectators.
The host institution’s athletic trainer, or other person designated by the host administration
who is not a game official or a coach, will be the designated spotter.
A Spotter’s Responsibilities:
Monitor Weather Reports via the internet or weather radio
Employ the Flash-to Bang method to determine proximity of the
storm
Alert the host administrators and game officials of potentially
unsafe weather development
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Prior to the start of a contest, decisions regarding whether a contest will begin rest with the
host administration. The host administration should confer with the participating coaches,
game officials, and administrator representing the visiting team (if present), and the athletic
training staff of the host institution.
Once a contest has begun, the decision to suspend and subsequently resume a contest is the
responsibility of the game official(s). Game officials are expected to confer with the host
administration, an administrator representing the visiting team (if present), participating
coaches, and the athletic training staff of the host institution.
When to stop play, seek shelter:
When the flash-to-bang count is at or less than 30, the lightning is
approximately 6 miles away and there is danger.
When the count reaches 30, everyone should have left the area for safe
shelter.
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Play that is suspended due to lightning, may be resumed 30 minutes after the last sound of
thunder and last flash of lightning seen.
Decisions regarding the starting, suspension, and resumption of a contest are to be made
independent of consideration related to any team gaining a competitive advantage. Among the
factors that should be considered are travel issues such as distance, expenses and missed class
time, severity of weather conditions, immediate weather forecast and playing-field conditions.
In all cases, the safety and welfare of the student-athletes and spectators is the single most
important consideration.
Weather related decisions involving conference championship events would typically be made
by the designated tournament committee.
The Flash-to-Bang method, described in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, is to be employed
for estimating how far away lightning is occurring, however, institutions that utilize lightning
detectors, etc. should follow their institutional policy.
Flash-to-Bang Ratio:
Begin counting when lightning is sighted (flash or bolt)
Counting stops when thunder is heard
Divide the count by 5 to determine the distance from you to the lightning in
miles. The minimum distance to game suspension is 6 miles.
Play may resume 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning and sound of
thunder.
References
Casa DJ, Guskiewiez KM, Anderson SA, et al. National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement:
Preventing Sudden Death in Sports. Journal of Athletic Training 2012:47 (1) 96-118.
National Lightning Safety Institute. Multi-agency recommendations for lightning safety.
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/multi_recommendation.html. Assessed, June 11, 2012
National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2011-2012 NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook. Indianapolis, IN:
National Collegiate Athletic Association; 2011
Prentice, William E. Principles of Athletic Training, A Competency-Based Approach, New York: McGrawHill, 2011.
Walsh KM, Bennett B, Cooper MA. National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement:
Lightning Safety for Athletics and Recreation. Journal of Athletic Training 2000:35 (4) 471-477.