Story and Photo Credit:  Camryn Williamson, DCHS Health Science Teacher

March is nationally recognized as National Athletic Training Month, and we are proud to recognize the incredible work of our three Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) who serve the student-athletes of Dodge City High School. Often seen as the “team behind the team”, Athletic Trainers are highly-qualified and multi-skilled healthcare professionals specializing in injury prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports-related injuries. ATCs often work behind the scenes to ensure athletes are prepared, protected, and supported before, during, and after competition. 

At Dodge City High School, our ATCs provide dependable medical care not only for our own student-athletes, but also for visiting teams, ensuring that every athlete who steps onto our fields and courts has access to skilled injury prevention, evaluation, and emergency care when it matters most. While many schools are fortunate to have one athletic trainer, it is actually rare for a district to have multiple certified athletic trainers on staff. Nationally, only about 37% of high schools have a full-time athletic trainer, and roughly one-third of schools have no access to an athletic trainer at all. Research shows that schools with athletic trainers experience lower rates of catastrophic and fatal sports injuries, highlighting the critical role they play in protecting student-athletes. 

Dodge City High School is fortunate to have a team with over 50 years of combined experience dedicated to keeping our student-athletes safe:

• Michael Pelton, who was inspired by his high school Athletic Trainer, “Doc”, earned his degree in Athletic Training from Baldwin Wallace University and has served Dodge City High School for 31 years, providing generations of student-athletes with expert care and mentorship. His dedication has helped build a strong sports medicine culture within the district. Michael has also been the recipient of the Kansas Athletic Trainer’s Society Athletic Trainer of the Year award, and was recently recognized with the NATA’s Servant’s Heart Award in 2025 for his dedication, selflessness, and unwavering commitment to service.
• Megan Trembly, a DCHS graduate, began her journey as a student athletic trainer under Mr. Pelton while in high school. She went on to earn her degree in Athletic Training from Southwestern College, returned to Dodge City to work locally, later worked with MidAmerica Orthopedics in Wichita, and then served as an athletic trainer at Rolesville High School in North Carolina before returning home to Dodge City as the assistant athletic trainer.
• Camryn Williamson, also a DCHS graduate, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Kansas State University before completing a Master’s degree in Exercise Science at the University of Louisiana Monroe, where she served as the Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer for Women’s Soccer. She now brings her expertise back to her hometown to serve DCHS athletes.

Together, this team provides sideline coverage, injury evaluation, rehabilitation programs, emergency response planning, and education on injury prevention for hundreds of Dodge City student-athletes each year. Our Athletic Trainers are also full-time teachers within the Health Science Department teaching a variety of courses including: Intro to Health Science, Medical Terminology, Body Systems, Care of Athletes, Sports Medicine 1, Emergency Services Essentials, EMT, and Healthcare Essentials 2. 

This National Athletic Training Month, we celebrate the knowledge, dedication, and care that Michael Pelton, Megan Trembly, and Camryn Williamson bring to our students every day. Their work behind the scenes ensures our athletes can train, compete, and recover safely while pursuing excellence in sports.