Jennifer Cooke, MS, LAT, ATC
Certified Athletic Trainer
jmcooke@fcps.edu

You can find us in room C-158!

What is a Certified Athletic Trainer?

An Athletic Trainer (ATC) is a board-certified medical professional, licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine with a Master’s degree. Athletic trainers possess a unique skill set enabling them to care for athletes from the moment of injury through a full return to play. Currently FCPS allocates one full-time, and one part-time, athletic trainer per secondary school.

What do your Woodson High School athletic trainers do for your athlete?

• We are on-site at all Woodson home athletic events and available on campus for all Woodson practices.
• We are the first medical provider on the scene when injuries occur on the field or court.
• We work under the direction and maintain relationship with a team physician(s).
• We plan and develop emergency action plans (EAPs) for all locations, teams and situations.
• We are the final authority to clear an athlete for play from all injuries or illness.

What can you do to support your Woodson certified athletic trainers?

• Support our end-of-year VHSL Sports Physical Night! This is our only fundraiser, and this is how we earn money to supply our athletic training room with the medical equipment necessary to properly care for your athlete.
• Reach out to your FCPS school board representative. While the FCPS athletic training program has been one of the best in the nation, the program has not kept pace with the growth of the FCPS student population nor with the educational and professional changes to the process of becoming an athletic trainer. The current stipend-based structure of the part-time position has remained unchanged since 1989. Over the past several years, we have seen FCPS schools struggle to fill the part-time position leaving just one person to perform the entirety of the job. The burgeoning FCPS student population is making it increasingly challenging to provide the access and availability needed to reliably deliver our services to student-athletes. Transitioning to two full-time athletic trainers at every FCPS secondary school would allow all schools to consistently supply a premier quality of care to all student athletes. Ask your school board representative to make this a priority so we are properly resourced and can continue to keep your athlete safe.

Every year our medical care, game coverage and administrative responsibilities impact the lives of over 1,000 Woodson High School athletes! Thank you for sharing your athlete with us; we love what we do, and we are dedicated to ensuring your athlete is ready to safely compete! 

To learn more about the profession of Athletic Trainer you can visit the National Athletic Trainers’ Association website!
 

Go Cavs!

2025 Woodson Sports Physical Night!
June 10, 2025
***Our Physical Night appointments have been filled. If you would like to sign up for the waitlist, please do so here and indicate ALL times that that you are available. We will email you as soon as a spot opens up! 
WAITLIST HERE

Every year, the Woodson Athletic Training Program hosts a Sports Physical Night. The goal of Sports Physical Night is to provide a complete pre-participation examination screening that will leave student athletes with a valid VHSL physical for the entirety of the following School Year. Each year, it is required that all student athletes have a completed VHSL physical on file before participating in sports. The price will be $50 as it has been in previous years. Hosting this event is our Athletic Training Program’s ONLY fundraiser for the year as we DO NOT receive any funding from the county. ALL proceeds go towards helping the program purchase supplies. Without your support we would not be able to provide the services we do for our student-athletes. Appointment times will be available at 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, and 7:30pm. 

REGISTER FOR APPOINTMENT HERE

**Click here** for the current VHSL Physical Form

As always, if you cannot make the it to our night on the, but still want to support FCPS, feel free to sign up for another school’s event! Every school will host (or co-host) their own night.

Want to Volunteer??

We are always looking for physicians and HCP’s to complete the actual physical exams (MD, DO, NP, PA) as well other HCP’s comfortable with taking vital signs. If you are willing and able to donate your time, it is greatly appreciated. If not, and you know of some others that would be able to assist us, please feel free to spread the word! If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to Chris Hogge, ATC at chogge@fcps.edu .

REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER HERE

VHSL Sports Physical Form (2025)

Legislation introduced in the Virginia General Assembly and recently signed into law will result in two significant changes to the athletic pre-participation examination (physical) requirements for FCPS student-athletes:

• Beginning July 1, 2025, athletic physicals will be considered valid for a period of 14 months from the date the form is signed by the medical provider completing the exam.  This is the date on page 3 of the VHSL Athletic Participation/Parent Consent/Physical Examination Form (revised January 2021).
• Beginning May 1, 2025, FCPS student-athletes are EXPECTED to have athletic physicals completed on the new VHSL Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Evaluation Form (revised April 2025).