Fall Traditions

When your youngest child is a high school senior you quickly realize that as a parent you are experiencing things that had become routine for the final time. Take for example last night’s Back to School Night at Toms River High School South. When it was over I said to my wife that this was the 26th and last one we would attend….13 for each of our children. We thought about it and concluded that I had missed two of the 26 for work-related reasons while my wife made each and every September visit. By the way I don’t really know what other high schools do but I can’t imagine there are too many that can duplicate the atmosphere that comes with Back to School Night at TR South. During the entire evening the cafeteria is jammed as many school-related organizations sell everything from clothing to tote bags with slogans and themes. It’s not only a great fundraising tool but is a terrific show of school spirit and helps set a tone for the new year.

As we embark on another year of high school sports it’s a good time to draw attention to someone who is often an unsung hero and vital to coaches, athletes and even parents. When I was in high school you did not have Athletic Trainers and most of the routine stuff like taping ankles and handing out bandages was left to coaches. Today the Athletic Trainer is often as important to a team’s success as their leading scorer. Not only do they treat the injured but they help prevent them from happening in the first place and they work closely with all parties involved, including doctors. We have some truly great ones in Ocean County as many of our schools were way ahead of the curve when it came to hiring full-time Athletic Trainers….I stress the word “athletic” because these trainers are not to be confused with the ones at your gym.

One of those who has been around for a long time is Southern Regional’s Joe Caucino and to Amy Johnson he is a savoir. She has twin sophomore sons who play football for the Rams and during a scrimmage two weeks ago one of them suffered a Grade 3 laceration of his spleen. In a letter written to Superintendent Craig Henry, Johnson praises Caucino for not only his quick actions in treating her son but the calm manner in which he explained everything to her before Alex Scherzer was transported to the hospital. The appreciative Mom also went out of her way to praise the Southern coaching staff for their concern and support. Alex by the way is home and doing better although his football season is over. However because of Athletic Trainers like Joe Caucino his future is bright.