Kansas Athletic Trainers Society Awards Zimmerman

Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society Bestows Local Honors at Recent Symposium
Topeka, KS, November 15, 2019 ‒ Multiple awards were handed out at the 13th Annual Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society Symposium on Sunday, November 17, in Topeka. This year’s honors included the John “Doc” Baxter Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award, Athletic Trainer of the Year and the Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society (KATS) Service Award.
The annual symposium is planned by the KATS Board of Directors to help insure top quality health care to the physically active in Kansas and assist health care professionals in meeting the ongoing continuing education requirements for certification in the state. One of the highlights of the annual event is the awards ceremony.
The John “doc” Baxter Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award was given to Gary Stevanus. Stevanus was first exposed to the profession of athletic training when the Ottawa High School booster club sponsored his registration fee to attend a Cramer Products Athletic Training Workshop in the summer of 1992, hosted by Emporia State University’s Athletic Trainer John Baxter. Stevanus is a graduate of the University of Kansas with bachelor’s degree in sports science and a master’s in sports administration. He is currently the Head Athletic Trainers at Baldwin High School. He has served KATS as the Safety in Football Committee Chairman for the past two years and is a member of the Secondary Schools Committee and the Kansas State High School Activities Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
Mark Cairns was honored with the Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. Cairns is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in biology and has been a certified trainer since 1985, is an accredited Postural Restoration Trained Athletic Trainer and has a Certification in Critical Incident Stress Management from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. He currently works with individuals with spine and pelvic problems at the Neu Physical Therapy Center in Lawrence. Cairns was selected for his work as the KATS District 5 ATs Care Team Leader where he manages the team that provides peer-to-peer critical incident stress management to athletic trainers and athletic training students.
KATS honored Steve Zimmerman with the KATS Service Award for his work heading the scholarship committee that he’s chaired for the last 15 years. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washburn University and a Master of Science degree from Fort Hays State. He is the athletic trainer for Liberal High
School. Zimmerman has just accepted a volunteer position serving on the Kansas State High Schools Activities Association Sports Medicine Advisory Council.
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About Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society:
The Kansas Athletic Trainers’ Society (KATS) was founded in 1980 to advance the profession of athletic training in the state of Kansas. The Kansas Athletic Trainers Society is composed of highly skilled health care professionals who are nationally certified and licensed to practice in the State of Kansas to advance, encourage, and improve the profession of athletic training and promote sports health and safety. It is the mission of KATS to help assure top quality health care to the physically active in Kansas, and to promote and increased awareness of the profession of athletic training to the citizens of the state of Kansas. For more information, visit www.ksathletictrainers.org.

Tracey Stratton