Athletic trainer Chellsie Johnson of Kelly Walsh High School has been named the Regional Nominee for The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. As the Regional Nominee, Johnson will advance on to join other Regional Nominees from across the nation to be considered for the title of The Newell Award National Athletic Trainer of the Year, which will be announced in May 2019.
In partnership with local leading orthopedic practices, such as Casper Orthopedics in Casper, The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award recognizes athletic trainers for the service and leadership they provide to local athletic communities. Based on examples of service, leadership and shared experiences from community members, nominees for The Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award are determined regionally. Nearly 200 exceptional shared experiences from community members were received in support of Johnson’s regional nomination for the National Award.
“The outpouring of support from community members on Ms. Johnson’s behalf has been tremendous and certainly well-deserved,” says Dr. Daniel White, fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon at Casper Orthopedics. “We feel honored to acknowledge her efforts by partnering with The Newell Award to recognize the region’s top athletic trainers for the service and leadership they display while treating our community’s athletes.”
Johnson, the sole athletic trainer for Kelly Walsh High School in Casper for the last five years, serves both her school and community as an athletic trainer and sports medicine educator. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. She then went on to earn her Master of Education degree in sports administration from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where she also did an athletic training assistantship. Johnson currently serves on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers' Association Public Relations Committee as the Wyoming representative and on the Wyoming High School Activities Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
In addition to Johnson, there were other exceptional candidates considered for regional nomination for The 2018 – 2019 Newell National Athletic Trainer of the Year Award, including Zachary Olivarez of Douglas High School.
“The testimonials received on behalf of all the candidates demonstrate how fortunate we are at Casper Orthopedics to work with such an incredible group of medical professionals,” says fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon Dr. Matthew Gorman of Casper Orthopedics. “It is also a reminder to our communities how lucky we are to have them on the sidelines for our student-athletes.”
To learn more about The Newell Award, visit TheNewellAward.com/WyoOrtho.