Atrium Health is proud to serve as The Health Care Provider of more than 100 schools, offering expert Team Doctors and Athletic Trainers for your school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, and Lincoln counties and Fort Mill School District.
Our mission is to keep your student-athlete and our community healthy, safe and injury-free. Each month, we will be spotlighting some of our dedicated Team Doctors and Athletic Trainers and share tips and exciting news in the world of sports medicine and high school athletics.
For student-athletes in the Greater Charlotte area, Athletic Trainers have served a crucial function in their safety and success for decades. They work closely with coaches, parents and medical teams to prevent injuries and provide care daily.
“Athletic Trainers are an important part of our Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute,” says Jennifer Gardner, Assistant Vice President of Outreach, Sports Medicine and Event Medicine at the Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute. “They are the cornerstone of sports medicine, and they play an indispensable role in caring for our athletes and ensuring they are primed for success.”
Here are just some of the services provided by Atrium Health Athletic Trainers:
- Evaluate, treat and rehabilitate injuries and athletic-related illnesses
- Recognize and evaluate head injuries and concussions
- Provide acute, emergency and on-field care
- Design and implement injury prevention programs
- Understand general medical conditions, disabilities and health and wellness
- Understand how nutrition plays a role in performance and injury management
- Prepare athletes for practices and games
- Monitor environmental factors for safety (field, heat index and lightning).
- Attend all home athletic events, matches and games (including practices)
- Develop return-to-play programs for injured athletes
- Communicate with physicians, parents, and coaches about injuries
- Develop emergency action plans for schools
To honor these professionals during National Athletic Training Month, we’d like to introduce you to some of our Athletic Trainers who dedicate their profession to keeping our athletes injury-free.
Benjamin Fonseca, LAT, ATC
Olympic High School
Benjamin Fonseca’s journey into athletic training began as a wrestler, when he tore his meniscus during wrestling in his right knee and required surgery.
“The athletic trainer at the school helped me get back on the mat, and that’s how the love for the profession started,” he recalls.
Now with more than 20 years in the field, Fonseca is Olympic High School’s Head Athletic Trainer, and he says he really enjoys working hard at being one of the leaders and mentors in his department. He serves as a CPR instructor, trains coaches in first aid, and reviews emergency action plans. And that doesn’t include everything else that comes with being an Athletic Trainer.
“Some parents do not realize that athletic trainers are medical professionals with a degree in athletic training,” he says. “I do not just treat the injury, I must educate the athlete, parents, and sometimes, a coach, on what the injury is, how long it will take to heal, and what treatment approach we will need to follow to return to the sport.”
He says that students are often surprised when they receive treatment for the first time.
“They cannot believe that they never knew that someone could help with this nagging injury,” he says.
In one of the most challenging seasons of his career, Benjamin played a critical role in helping Olympic High’s girls’ track team achieve a state championship. Coming off the uncertainty of post-COVID restrictions, the team faced significant setbacks, including closed weight rooms, limited conditioning, and a rising number of injuries. Fonseca worked closely with staff, athletes and parents to develop individualized treatment plans, targeted rehabilitation programs, and structured warm-up routines to get the team back on track. Week by week, the injured athletes regained strength and improved their times, leading the team to conference and regional victories before ultimately securing the state championship.
“After confronting so many challenges and so many obstacles we were all rewarded with a state championship. Wow… how gratifying,” he reflected.
He is thankful for his faith and family and former coaches for his personal successes that help him support others.
“We must be grateful for everyone who has poured a little bit in our cup to help mold the person that we become.”
Tracy Porter, LAT, ATC
Lincoln Charter School
Tracy Porter originally planned to become a chiropractor, but quickly realized that athletic training was a better fit for her passion for sports and helping others.
“I found becoming an Athletic Trainer would provide me with a rewarding career that blends healthcare, education and sports, with the chance to work in diverse settings like school, professional teams and clinics,” says Tracy.
She is currently the Athletic Trainer at Lincoln Charter School, but before that, she served as the Athletic Trainer at West Lincoln High School. She says she owes her success in her career to her ability to build relationships with other healthcare professionals, coaches and student-athletes. This has helped her contribute to three state championship wrestling teams at West Lincoln, and is proud for the work she put into helping them stay healthy.
“I believe my expertise in maintaining their peak performance played a key part in achieving their championship success,” she says.
Tracy’s passion for sports extends beyond work. She says she most enjoys watching her 9-year-old son play soccer on his club team.
“His passion has allowed me to see the world while he competes with his club. I will always be his biggest supporter,” says Tracy. “And he thinks my job is pretty cool too. I get to work as a medical professional at special events like the COPA America matches, Charlotte FC games, and many others as a teammate of Atrium Health.”
Hollis Theard, LAT, ATC
Gray Stone Day School
Hollis Theard is the Athletic Trainer for Gray Stone Day School, where she leads by example. She has completed four marathons, including recently running in the New York City Marathon.
“I try to use my running, as well as my nutrition and hydration habits, to display healthy behaviors to my athletes, and inspire them to make their own healthy habits,” she says.
Her job requires her to work with both high school and middle school athletes, and the latter group presents a unique challenge.
“Initially my younger athletes in middle school are not familiar with what an athletic trainer is, and they often do not come to seek my help,” Hollis says. “But once they see how I can help them, they are usually grateful and I can work with them to build a sense of trust and respect. I really enjoy being able to know some of them for all seven years of middle and high school. This allows me to get to know them even better and develop strong relationships with them.”
In 2023, Hollis played a key role in supporting Gray Stone’s boys’ soccer team as they worked their way to a 1A state championship. She points out that soccer can be a long season, but she worked closely with the coach and team to keep them on the field and ready for the post season.
“It was so rewarding to work with them from the summer and through the season, and then be on the sidelines to see them reach their goal.”
Along with her work at Gray Stone, Hollis is furthering her expertise by pursuing a Doctorate of Athletic Training at Moravian University. She hopes that by setting an example in both her academic and athletic pursuits, she can inspire her student-athletes to prioritize their own health, performance and long-term success.
Jennifer Winningham, MS, LAT, ATC
UNC Charlotte Athletics
Jennifer Winningham grew up in a family of five sisters, with two sets of twins (including herself), so it is no surprise she thrives in a team environment.
“I have covered so many sports in my career and have been the primary Athletic Trainer for so many teams,” says Jennifer. I have worked with football, softball, baseball, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, as well as basketball. I got the opportunity to work the Independence Bowl in 2012 with the University of Louisiana-Monroe football team. And I have gotten the opportunity to attend so many NCAA tournament events with the team that I have served. There is nothing like the NCAA tournament in any sport.”
Her passion for sports is only rivaled by her passion for healing, who says the most fulfilling part of her job is seeing athletes return to their sport after an injury.
“I love seeing an injured athlete get back to playing and enjoying the sport they love,” she says. “Seeing them succeed is the best feeling.”
One of her proudest moments came in 2022 when Charlotte’s women’s basketball team won the Conference USA Championship. While the season was not plagued by major injuries, it presented a different challenge — navigating COVID-19 protocols.
“During the summer of 2021 while preparing for the season, the Delta variant was spreading, and during the season, the Omicron variant was spreading. If you did not work in college athletics during COVID, it is truly hard to understand what the athletic trainers’ responsibilities became at that time,” she recalls. “Navigating those times were tough, but when our team got to hold that trophy at the end of the season, it was an unbelievable feeling.”
Outside of her athletic training, Jennifer is best known for her unusual collection.
“A fun fact is that I love sneakers! For game days, I bring three different pairs of shoes to every game and let the athletes vote on what I wear. It started as a joke last season but everyone loves it!”
To learn more about why Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute is the region’s leader in orthopedics and sports medicine care, click here. To schedule an appointment with an Orthopedic or Sports Medicine specialist, call 704-863-HURT (4878) or schedule online.
Medical Directors:
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg - Dr. David Price
- Union & Fort Mill - Dr. Eric Warren
- Cabarrus - Dr. Kevin Burroughs
