With the start of a new school year, FHS has had many new staff hires. One of them is our new Athletic Trainer and Health Clerk, Allen Swadley. Before coming to FHS, Swadley graduated from Fresno State in the Master of Science in Athletic Training program and worked as an assistant athletic trainer at the Academy of Art University.
“I really appreciate the support that I have here [at FHS],” Swadley said. “Whether it’s just students, student-athletes, office staff all the way down to the maintenance guys and anybody else that’s involved. I’ve had a very positive experience and interaction with everybody.”
As an athletic trainer, working with athletes is a big part of his job. Student-athletes who play sports including basketball, football, soccer and others cooperate with Swadley. As a health clerk, Swadley oversees the health and wellness of the student population. This includes providing health care, long-term health and rehabilitative care for injuries, understanding the different medical conditions that students have, and treating unexpected outbreaks of diseases.
“I honestly just want to make an impact on the program here. Whether it’s here in the office as a health clerk or as an athletic trainer, I want to give everybody a positive experience with myself and have a positive outlook on athletic training,” Swadley said.
According to a study conducted in 2019 by the Korey Stringer Institute, one in every three high schools does not have access to an athletic trainer, and only 13% of California high schools have a full-time athletic trainer.
In the future, Swadley wishes to teach kinesiology, the study of human movement. Kinesiology is a form of therapy that uses biofeedback to look at a person’s health. Even though the study of kinesiology has only been around for less than 60 years, its roots can date back to ancient Greece, where the philosopher Aristotle analyzed the movements of animals and humans in his studies. It is currently a growing field in the athletic workforce, boasting over 640,000 personnel, as of 2023.
Swadley has had a positive experience at FHS so far and hopes to continue contributing to the success of the school both as a health clerk and an athletic trainer. Whether it be teaching kinesiology or working as a athletic trainer, Swadley will remembered as a core part of FHS in the 2023-24 school year.
