In celebration of National Athletic Trainer Month, Perry Weather is excited to announce the second annual Perry Weather Athletic Trainer Excellence Award. This award recognizes the contributions of athletic trainers, celebrating their dedication and impact in the world of sports.
Dustin is in his 13th year with Frenship ISD as Head Athletic Trainer. Before joining FISD his previous stops include Lubbock Sports Medicine and Eastern New Mexico University.
Dustin has a Masters of Athletic Training degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a Bachelors of Health and Physical Education from Eastern New Mexico University. He holds professional certifications as a Board Certified Athletic Trainer, State of Texas Licensed Athletic Trainer, CPR/AED/Frist Aid Instructor, Stop the Bleed Instructor, Myofascial Decompression Certification and Graston M1Certification.
Dustin and his wife Kaylie have been married for 11 years and have 2 beautiful children, Brelynn and Kasin. Both attend school in Frenship ISD.
Perry Weather will donate $2,000.00 to the Dustin’s preferred sports medicine scholarship fund, helping to foster the growth and advancement of this remarkable profession.
All nominees were scored on the following criteria
With over 800 nominations to this year’s AT Excellence Award, the following were the top 10 nominees (in no particular order).
Years of Experience: 34 Years
“Chris has been the leader of the emergency response team, and served as the first point of contact on athletic injuries and return-to-play standards in an athletic program where 77% of the student body plays at least one sport and there are over 160 coaches. Chris developed a class for athletic training after high school. He built the course syllabus, objectives, lectures, and exams based on his own research and experiences.”
Years of Experience: 21 Years
“Windee not only teaches her students the skills to help athletes during practices and games, but she invests in the individual. She takes her students on college visits. She helps them with public speaking and builds their confidence. She has taken classes in cupping and needling to further enhance treatment of the athletes she serves. The greatest thing Windee has done as an Athletic Trainer is save a life. She performed CPR and that kid is alive today because of Windee’s quick response.”
Years of Experience: 19 Years
“Dr. Andrews provides individualized treatments to our student-athletes. She has been called several times when the school nurse is not around to assist in whatever is needed. She provides targeted interventions and is the best when it comes to crisis management and emergency preparedness. She ensures medical bags, emergency equipment are all filled, have batteries, and things are in place.”
Years of Experience: 34 Years
“An athlete had a very significant surgery right around the Christmas holidays. Mr. Harvey met him at the school on Christmas Day to change his dressing. There are not many people that would sacrifice time away from their family to do this for an athlete, especially knowing how valuable family time is for an athletic trainer.”
Years of Experience: 25 Years
“One of Jen’s most remarkable achievements has been her leadership in expanding the availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) machines within the Three Village School District. Recognizing the importance of prompt medical intervention in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, Jen spearheaded initiatives to ensure that AED machines are readily accessible not only in athletic facilities but also across the district. Her proactive measures have potentially saved countless lives and underscore her dedication to the welfare of students and staff alike.”
Years of Experience: 14 Years
“Kaitlyn helped develop an Injured Athlete Program that individualized return-to-play plans for athletes out of sport for extended periods of time (greater than 30 days or more). This has greatly benefited the athletes and improved their ability to practice and compete in the sports they love. She has led a critical arm of the IMG Academy Treat My Injuries Journey work focused on enhancing efficiencies and the overall student-athlete experience.”
Years of Experience: 17 Years
“As a leader within the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Robert serves as a beacon of inspiration, guiding young athletes not just in physical fitness but also in spiritual and moral growth. This integration of character development into his coaching is truly commendable, shaping athletes not only as competitors but as well-rounded individuals.”
Years of Experience: 15 Years
“Emily handles concussion management for Danbury’s 1,300 athletes, manages the budget for the athletic training program, handles all the communication with parents of injured athletes, and handles all the medical insurance claims for athletes. In addition Ms. Renna-Beers created the existing return to play protocol used by the Danbury Public Schools for athletes who suffer a concussion.”
Years of Experience: 16 Years
“Erin helped create and organize a Female Athlete Health and Performance Seminar. She organized a group of experts from Johns Hopkins to cover topics including the relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), menstrual cycle, training/sports performance, nutrition, and mood / mental health. Erin took the initiative to listen to the students’ needs, plan a deliberate response to address the gap, coordinate the programming, and execute in a way that had not yet been done.”
Years of Experience: 13 Years
“When a student is transported to the hospital for an injury, Coach Rush is the first one there by the bedside to visit the student AND the family – making sure they have what they need and feel supported by Frenship. This isn’t a one-time deal. Coach Rush does this all the time, and as a Frenship ISD administrator, I find comfort in knowing our Frenship families feel supported during some of the most difficult and traumatic moments in their lives.”
David Csillan’s 37-year career in athletic training has made a significant impact on secondary school athletics, most recently in his role as Athletic Trainer at The Hun School of Princeton in New Jersey.
Beyond his primary role, David has collaborated and worked with organizations like the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI), Special Olympics, and USA Football, as well as state lawmakers to develop and implement health and safety policies into law. David actively participates in various athletic training committees and advisory boards across the country. He co-authored essential NATA guides including the “Pre-Season Heat Acclimatization Guidelines for Secondary School Athletics”. These guidelines, along with his work on exertional heat stroke prevention, have no doubt saved many lives.
As a token of our appreciation, Perry Weather donated $1,000 to David Csillian’s preferred sports medicine scholarship fund, helping to foster the growth and advancement of this remarkable profession.