A Fresh Start

A new school year often comes with many new beginnings. This year California State Monterey Bay is welcoming a new staff member, John Henderson, as the new head Athletic Trainer. The previous head Athletic Trainer, Ken Howat, is retiring after ten years and Henderson is taking over his duties.

Henderson moved to CSUMB from Weber State; a NCAA Division 1 and a member of the Big Sky Conference after serving as an assistant athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach for Football as well as both Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Soccer. In addition to watching over all of the CSUMB athletes, Henderson plans on focusing on the Women’s Water Polo team, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Sailing, Golf and Volleyball. Henderson will be introducing a new Concussion Program that is considered one of the best. This program has two base line tests, a Computerized Cognitive test and a balance test, which will help determine the state and health of the student athletes. Henderson states that this program “lets us know that this really is a concussion and that we are not just guessing anymore.”

The duties that Henderson will be covering include making sure that every student athlete is healthy, hydrated, and getting the proper care when injured. Henderson is accompanied by a team that will help him and ensure that all the student athletes here at CSUMB are successful. There are also two assistant Trainers, Alex Blake and Crystal Sullivan, along with an orthopedic surgeon and family practice doctor. The program is currently seeking out a registered dietician, chiropractor and a dentist to help make it successful. One of the most important things that Henderson wants to accomplish is for every student athlete to know the athletic doctor by name as well as who to turn to with any problems they have. “We have everything we need to be successful, and for a Division II university, when we are done I hope it feels like a Division I. That is truly our goal.”

Henderson was not only a staff member at Weber State in Ogden Utah, but a student as well. Serving as a student athletic trainer and overseeing the entire student athlete population, Henderson started Weber in 2003 to then become an assistant athletic trainer and Strength and Conditioning coach after graduation. Henderson is a trained and certified trainer (ATC) through the NATA or National Trainer’s Association and is also a Strength and Conditioning Specialist certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). At Weber, Henderson knew almost every student athlete. In fact, that is one of the main things he likes about CSUMB. “ Smaller student population and an intimate situation where everyone kind of knows everyone.”

Henderson applied for the position of Head Athletic Trainer here at CSUMB and was thrilled when he got a phone call back. When asked why he was so excited, Henderson replied “ the size of the school and the fact that the school was young and that there was a lot of opportunity for this school to grow is what attracted me to this school.”