Recently at my current place of employment we have come across a very frustrating issue and also a very frustrating conversation that nobody seems to have an answer for. The issue is the idea of the"Unattached Runner" in the track and field world.
So what exactly is an "Unattached Runner"? It seems to me that, although this individual is on your team roster, he/she may be red-shirted or have other issues that will not allow them to run at actual meets. However it doesn't stop there. They are allowed to go to the same meet that your actual team is at and compete as an "Unattached Runner". To me the seems a bit crazy in the sports world. I currently cover Men's basketball and this would be the equivalent of one of my players playing in another league while we are in season and the coach actually encouraging this activity.
So now that we have the basics of what this idea is, let's dive into what makes it very frustrating on the medical care and coverage side of things. Let's say you work at a university that has the policy that they do not medically cover financially any injury that was not linked to your athlete directly competing as part of the team? So when you are at a meet and you are there to cover your team that is comepeting for the university how do handle all of your athletes that may be there also competing on their own? To me it seems like it puts the athlete in a bind if they do happen to compete and get hurt, and now they are finacially responsibile for anything that pertains to that injury. Their response is going to be "coach told me I had to go run", and honestly I cant blame them for now being upset. So that is where the frustration side sets in. As Athletic Trainers it is in our blood to take care of our athletes when something is wrong with them. However, in the situtaion sometimes it seems as if our hands are tied and it is a disservice to that athlete that once we get back on campus in noraml activities becomes a team member. In our world, from the day we start our education, we are told to always be there and be ready to help our athletes. Yet, this situation seems to cause alot of frustrating situations and conversations.
So if there is anybody out there that may have the life saving answer, I would love to hear how to handle this situation better.
Thanks for letting me vent for a little while, hope everyday has a wonderful day.
