Sports Medicine

Sports Medicine Overview

The athletic training room is staffed by two full-time New York State Licensed and NATABOC certified athletic trainers. Injury evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation occur throughout the school day and during athletic practices and games. Poly Prep’s certified athletic trainers (ATCs) are available for each practice and home competition.

John Pomponio-Careccia BS/MS, ATC and Alyssa Alaimo BS/MS, LAT, ATC are both graduates of LIU-Brooklyn’s Athletic Training program and are now clinical preceptors. Alyssa had worked with John as part of her clinical experience training while in college. The team also consists of a part-time physical therapist, James Cardello, PT, MPT, OCS, who helps with student-athlete rehab.

Students receive comprehensive classroom instruction and hands-on clinical experiences that develops their skills in the follow areas:

• Injury prevention
• Injury and medical illness, diagnosis, and evaluation
• Rehabilitative treatment
• Emergency medical care
• Conditioning
• Collaboration with healthcare team members

ATCs impact health care before, during, and after an injury occurs. Poly Prep’s ATCs are experts in injury and illness prevention. Poly’s ATCs spend nearly 50% of their time providing preventative health care. ATCs are also prepared to act in case of an emergency, such as sudden cardiac arrest, exertional heat stroke, or cervical spine injury. The most rewarding aspect of being a Poly ATC is helping a student-athlete or an arts performer back to their respective activity after sustaining an injury. Poly ATCs work collaboratively with other health care professionals to rehabilitate an active patient to work, life, and sport.

Significant areas of the Poly ATCs include:

• Injury and Illness Prevention: ATCs implement injury prevention programs and help mitigate risk by developing venue specific emergency action plans.
• Examination and Diagnosis of Injuries: ATCs help ensure that patients receive the necessary health screenings, as well as evaluate injuries when they occur.
• Immediate and Emergency Care: ATCs provide emergency care for injury and illnesses such as concussion, cardiac arrest, spine injuries, heat stroke, diabetes, allergic reactions, and asthma attacks.
• Therapeutic Intervention: ATCs recondition and rehabilitate injuries, illnesses, and general medical conditions for optimal performance and function.
• Health Care Administration: ATCs are pioneers of change. Through injury data collected by ATCs, the athletic training profession is shaping injury prevention and identifying new ways to keep patients healthy while reducing overall health care costs.

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Athletic Training Team

John began at Poly in 2006 as the Head Athletic Trainer. In his years at Poly, John has overseen all Poly athletic teams and student-athletes as the Poly sports landscape has continued to grow. He is a certified American Red Cross and American Heart Association CPR instructor. He is currently also the Head Athletic Trainer for soccer club FA Euro. John is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and helped Poly attain NATA Safe Sports School status.

Alyssa started at Poly in 2018 working with all Poly athletic teams. She is a certified American Red Cross and American Heart Association CPR instructor. Prior to Poly, Alyssa has extensive experience working in physical therapy offices and was a student-intern for St. Francis College in Brooklyn.

Student Voices

Read about what students have to say about Poly’s athletic trainers.