| The institute will teach all students -- not just
young athletes -- how to train, stay fit and avoid injuries. |
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UM
and Community Medical
Center create sports institute
Community Medical Center and UM have partnered to create a unique center,
the Sports Health Institute, which will educate area students about avoiding athletic
injuries and staying fit into adulthood.The institute is the brainchild of Dr. Michael
Schutte, a surgeon with Northern Rockies Orthopaedic Specialists. He said the new center
will work to curb sports-related injuries by providing a pipeline for improved exercise
science to reach Montana's coaches and students.
"I've seen high school programs where 16 of 20 athletes are injured in one
sport," Schutte said. "This type of thing has been happening for the past 10
years, and the popularity of sports keeps growing. We can do better by providing improved
guidelines for training."
He said the institute will teach all students -- not just young athletes -- how to
train, stay fit and avoid injuries. He hopes to instill proper fitness habits in young
people that will carry through into adulthood.
Gordon Opel, hospital director of community services, said Community Medical Center
donated start-up funding for the Sports Health Institute, while UM's Intercollegiate
Athletics will provide the training expertise used in its own programs. The hospital also
will offer staffing assistance for the institute when called upon.
Opel said the institute already has started a pilot project at Missoula's Loyola-Sacred
Heart High School.
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