Meet Medco's Catalog Cover ATs... Union High School!

Medco Sports Medicine's new catalog features Union High School. Learn more about the great athletic trainers at Union High School.

Meet Union High School’s Athletic Training Team

In celebration of their school being selected as our catalog cover, Medco Sports Medicine spoke with Dan Newman, Jacob Newby, and Mac Harmon about their love of athletic training and experiences at Union High School.

Why did you become an Athletic Trainer?   

Dan Newman: The love of sports and medicine. I was always enamored with what was going on behind the scenes and during the game on the sidelines. Medical School was not for me, so Bryan Dunn, the AT at my High School, showed me the light and here I am. I would not trade this for anything. This is the profession I was meant to be in.

Jacob Newby: To help athletes overcome injuries and reach their goals.

Mackenzie Harmon: After personally going through a serious sports injury in college, I knew I wanted to help athletes overcome their own injuries and play a role in their return to the sport they love.  

What is the most rewarding part of being an Athletic Trainer? 

Newby: Working with an athlete who has been injured from the time of injury to the time of return to play. Seeing them overcome the odds and make an impact on a team is always rewarding.

Harmon: There is nothing better than seeing your athlete that you have worked alongside return to sport and be successful. I also love getting to work with our student aides and teaching them about athletic training and the allied healthcare field.

Newman: Love to see kids win; there is nothing better than being on the field, court, whatever the surface, and seeing them achieve their goals. With Athletic Training I get a front row seat. 

What challenges do/have you faced as an Athletic Trainer?

Harmon: I think one of the biggest challenges for most Athletic Trainers that I have experienced is educating others on the value and expertise an AT brings to a school and their athletes. Educating the public on what ATs do and the skills we possess is the first step in showing just what our worth is to the sports medicine and allied healthcare fields.

Newby: I think as with most athletic trainers in a secondary school, our time is pulled in a lot of directions. While we are blessed to have three staff Athletic Trainers, we do feel like we are short on time to spend with the athletes.

Newman: I think the ability to give the best health care to all our student athletes is one challenge. There are three full-time ATs at Union and every day we challenge ourselves to give each student athlete the best care they deserve. Especially here at Union, our care is sometimes the only health care they will receive. I think the three of us pride ourselves on doing the best we can each day no matter who the student is or their background or sport.

How have you made a difference in an athlete’s life?

Newman: I think this is a hard one to quantify, but it’s the student athletes who come and see me, or years down the road they call me for advice on an injury for themselves or a family member. There are a few special students where you know you have made a difference in their lives.

Newby: Unfortunately, and fortunately, I have had to use life-saving actions on a couple of my athletes in my career. I don’t think one can have more of a difference on a life than that.

Harmon: Fortunately, in my career so far, I have not needed to use life-saving measures on an athlete of mine. Another way, I would say I have made a difference in a life is through making strong connections with my athletes. Mental health and wellness play a huge role in recovery. Especially when working with high school athletes, just being there for them and listening to them is sometimes all a kid needs when dealing with an injury or life in general. 

What is the most common injury you see in high school athletes and how do you treat and/or prevent it?   

Harmon: The most common injuries we see are muscle strains and ankle ligament sprains. The treatment approach we use for most injuries involves a combination of movement, stretching, and strengthening.

Newby: Ankle sprains. We rehab all the injured athletes to try and prevent chronic instability.

Newman: Definitely overuse. With “club” sports becoming such a big part of a student athlete’s career starting at a young age, we are seeing so many more overuse injuries caused by no downtime, along with younger and younger kids experiencing “older athlete” injuries.

It is our job as ATs to help the student athletes better understand the importance of taking care of their bodies and taking care of things sooner than later. Teaching them to see the bigger picture is harder than you think.  

What products are your must-haves in your athletic training facility and on the sidelines at sporting events?  

Newby: My kit and my wit! (My kit is a Cramer TUF-TEK Traveler).

Harmon: Our THERABAND resistance bands and their new dynamic resistance tools play a big part in our rehab programs in our facility. I also cannot travel to any event without my Cramer TUF-TEK Traveler!

Newman: I think recently it's been Cramer Eco-Flex. Also, the older I get, I have become pretty proficient with a few items. I love having all the new bells and whistles in the athletic training room, but honestly my hands and my experience are my best tools. 

How did you end up at Union? 

Harmon: During my time as a graduate student, we were encouraged to be involved in our state and district associations. I got to meet and network with lots of Athletic Trainers within our state, including Dan Newman. Dan and I maintained a great friendship throughout the past 5 years and have worked alongside each other at several sporting events throughout that time. When Dan called me asking if I wanted to join his staff, I knew I could not miss out on the opportunity to work with one of the best.  

Newby: I was approached by Dan Newman for his opening for an assistant AT.

Newman: By chance. I was in the collegiate setting, and I thought I would be there for my career. However, I was approached about the job in the summer of ’02. Union was completing the UMAC (Union Multipurpose Activity Center) and a new 1,700 sq ft athletic training facility. I knew people already at Union, my wife and sister-in-law (now boss) were both grads and I did a clinical rotation there during my undergrad. So, I thought lets give it a try. 20 years later here I am.

What makes Union High School unique? 

Newby: The people at Union are unique. They have a way of joining together to support the programs at the school. The voters in the community have voted to upgrade the district’s facilities to have the most state-of-the-art ones available for our students from kindergarten to seniors. The leadership that I work with daily in the athletic department is second to none. As athletic trainers we feel supported from the top down. 

Harmon: The people are what make Union special. From the moment I walked in the door at Union it has felt like family. I believe Union provides us with the best resources and support for us to be a successful athletic training program and to be able to give our athletes the care they deserve.

Newman: I have said it before, and I will say it again; I compare Union to the New York Yankees; everyone hates us on the outside but deep down they want to be us. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. Here at Union, the students, teachers, staff, admin, facilities, and academics are all first class. Everything we do here at Union is to give each student the ability to succeed and achieve their highest goals. 

What do you like most about the secondary school setting? 

Harmon: I love this setting because of the amazing relationships it has brought me, including my student-athletes, coaches, and fellow secondary school Athletic Trainers. Having the opportunity to impact students and athletes on a daily basis, whether it be sports medicine related or not, is something that I hold dear to my heart.  

Newman: I have really found my niche in the secondary school setting. I think over the years and with my involvement at the state, district, and national levels, I have been able to speak on the importance of the Athletic Trainer at the secondary school level. Everyone knows about the pros or college, but sometimes we forget about our secondary school athletes, and the SSAT has a unique opportunity to shine the light on this great profession. 

Newby: The secondary school setting is most athletes’ first introduction to the profession of Athletic Training. We have the opportunity to give the athletes a feeling of being cared for and improving their overall well-being while we interact with them in our athletic training room daily.  

More about Dan Newman MS, LAT, ATC  

Dan graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1996 with a BS in Athletic Training. He received his Master's in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Injury Management from the University of Nevada, Los Vegas in 1999. He served on the NATA Secondary Schools Athletic Trainer Committee (2013-2018) and was the caucus leader for the NATA State Association Advisory Committee (2013-2014). Dan was OATA President (2010-2012) and OATA Meeting Committee Chair (2003 to 2013). He is currently the Head Athletic Trainer at Union High School. 

He has been recognized with numerous awards including MAATA Distinguished Athletic Trainer of the year (2020), The Newell Award – Regional Athletic Trainer of the Year (2020), Gatorade Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year (2018), Nominated NATA Most Distinguished AT of the Year (2017), NATA Service Award (2014), and OATA Athletic Trainer of the Year (2013).  

Dan has also served on many additional committees, boards, and task forces, including: Board of Certification, Standards Committee (2021 to present), Appropriate Medical Care for the Secondary School Aged Athletes – Task Force member (2017-2019), Oklahoma Collaborative Sports Safety Meeting – Meeting Coordinator (February 2019), Korey Stringer Institute-Medical Advisory Board (2017 to present), OSSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, MAATA (D5) Board of Directors (2010 to 2012), and MAATA (D5) Finance Committee (2010 to 2012). 

More about Jacob Newby MS, LAT, ATC  

Jacob received his BS in Athletic Training from Kansas State University in 2005 along with a BS in Kinesiology from Kansas State University that same year. He obtained a master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Nevada, Los Vegas in 2008. Since graduating, he has worked as the University of Tulsa Assistant AT Basketball and Track (2008-2013) and then the Oral Roberts Assistant AT Baseball and Soccer (2013 – 2015). Jacob is currently a Union High School Assistant AT (2015 – present). 

More about Mackenzie (Mac) Harmon 

Mac is a 2015 graduate of the University of Oklahoma (BS Health and Exercise Science). She obtained a Master of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2018. She has been working in the Secondary School setting as a Certified Athletic Trainer for the past 4 years. Mac recently joined the Union High School Athletic Training staff after spending the past 3 years as the Head Athletic Trainer for Putnam City North High School. She has served on the Young Professionals committee of the OATA for 3 years and will now serve as the Oklahoma representative for District 5 Early Professionals Committee. 

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