Camp Makes World of Difference to Female Athletes

by Chris Rheaume

	Stephanie Hart, ATC (seated) and Kathy Thornton, LATC, manage the World of Difference Strength & Conditioning Camp.

Now in its seventh year, “A World of Difference Strength & Conditioning Camp” is an exciting five-week, female-only program for girls between the ages of 13 and 22. Its main goals are to help girls to prepare for the fall athletic season and to educate them about healthy lifestyle choices. The camp is also great for girls who, though not involved in formal sports, wish to improve their strength and overall fitness. A similar program for boys is in its planning stages.

Why is the camp gender-specific? “Most high school age girls are very self-conscious about exercising around boys, especially in the weight room,” said Kathy Thornton, LATC, certified athletic trainer at the S.P.O.R.T. facility. “In a female-only setting, we felt that the girls would be more comfortable.”

It all started when S.P.O.R.T. athletic trainers noticed that girls were sustaining lots of injuries during their intense pre-season practices in the fall — injuries that might have been prevented with a prior strength and conditioning program. They developed the World of Difference camp and noticed a definite change.

“In the first two years of the camp, some of the girls who had been injured three years in a row, didn’t get injured after the camp,” Thornton said.

Today, the camp’s goals are expanding from injury prevention toward improving athletic performance.

“I would say that the majority of the girls attend the camp to get better at their sport, to become quicker and stronger and to give themselves that extra edge,” Thornton said.
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth sophomore Kelly Fitts is a college soccer player and javelin athlete who participated in the camp for two summers.

“Not only did I get stronger and in better shape to return to sports in the fall,” she said. “But I also learned how to do the lifting exercises correctly. To this day, when I go to the UMass gym, the fitness trainers there come up to me and ask where I learned to do all the lifting exercises. The camp taught me that.”

The S.P.O.R.T. athletic trainers say that many girls fear that weight training will give them a masculine appearance, so they avoid lifting. A World of Difference educates girls on how to lift weights for gaining strength, without building significant muscle mass.

Studies have shown that girls who compete in athletics and are physically fit are less likely to be raped and to become the victim of violence and domestic abuse, Thornton said.

“And if you are physically fit, you feel better about yourself, you are better at your sport and you tend to be more self-confident,” she said.

The camp works on weight training for two days and one day of plyometrics — jumping and explosive type activities that help develop power and speed, Thornton said.

S.P.O.R.T. is one of Southcoast Health System’s orthopedic rehabilitation teams and is located on Route 6 in Dartmouth. Physical therapists and certified athletic trainers at the camp serve patients with all types of orthopedic injuries.

In most states, a certified athletic trainer has a bachelor’s or more advanced degree from an accredited school, must pass a national certification exam and must receive ongoing continuing education. Their role is different from that of physical therapists.

“Our focus is on athletes,” said Stephanie Hart, ATC. “If you get hurt playing tennis, we would see you. If you had a total knee replacement, you would more likely be seen by a physical therapist.”

In addition to working directly with patients, the athletic trainers serve most of the area’s high school and college sports departments.

“When you’re watching a game and someone goes down on the field, generally the first person who runs out there is the certified athletic trainer,” Hart said.

World of Difference will run from July 1 to August 1 at New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, from 8 to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. For more information, call 508-910-3434, ext. 3443 or 3427.

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