ROCKINGHAM — A familiar face at every home sporting event at Richmond Senior High School, athletic trainer Mitch Hadinger always has his hands in the action.
Whether it’s taping ankles, wiping blood from the wrestling mat or stretching leg cramps between plays, the man affectionately known as “Coach Had” plays a crucial role in the success of the high school’s athletics program.
A 17-year veteran on Richmond’s sidelines and courtsides, Hadinger graduated with an undergraduate degree in sports medicine from the University of South Carolina in 1998. He followed that up two years later with a master’s degree in exercise physiology at Auburn University, where he worked with Dr. Jack Hughston, one of the “original fathers of sports medicine.”
When Hadinger first stepped on Richmond’s football field in 2004, he had little idea of the love he would develop for the Raiders and all of the athletic programs. Now in the midst of a global pandemic, he’s using his passion and skills to keep local student-athletes healthy and safe.
“At the beginning, I never wanted to work in a high school setting,” Hadinger, 44, said. “I wanted to work my way up to teaching sports medicine at a university. But Richmond ended up being one of the few well-rounded programs that felt like sports truly mattered.
“It’s the things like the environment and the facilities, and the expectations are a big part of why I like it here,” he continued. “Our school has such a great history and we win. That all starts by the way our kids practice and put in the work to win.”
Hadinger added that the small community feeling — the one where everyone in the county knows there’s a game on Friday night — and the unique sports climate Richmond County offers are added benefits to the job he’s grown to love.
Regardless of what sport or season, Coach Had can be found all over campus year round. He works long hours with the football team in the summer, attends every home volleyball match and basketball game, and zips across campus in a gator between baseball, softball and soccer.
“I just do it, it’s a part of who I am,” Hadinger explained when asked how he maintains such a busy schedule. “It’s all about the health and safety of the student-athletes, but it’s become a way of life.”
When the North Carolina High School Athletic Association lifted its dead period on high school athletics on June 15, it gave local education agencies the final call of when to return sports to their respective practice fields. Richmond County Schools officially announced on Aug. 4 it was reinstating voluntary summer workouts.
Hadinger was selected as one of the seven members of a special committee to oversee and determine when athletics would return to Richmond County. Other members included superintendent Dr. Jeff Maples, athletic director Rob Ransom and DHHS director Dr. Tommy Jarrell.
“I was asked to be a part of the committee since I’m the medical guy for Richmond sports,” Hadinger explained. “I’m the boots on the ground, and it was my job to incorporate what the National Athletic Trainers Association was advising about assisting and managing COVID-19.”
In the handful of closed-door meetings between June 15 and Aug. 4, Hadinger said the committee met to discuss “what was in the best interest of student-athletes” and “how to get sports going again.”
He admitted there was a lot of juggling between ideas, but the bottom line was how the committee could justify allowing local athletes to return to workouts safely. Of feeling any pressure from the community, Hadinger said he was instead focused on helping make the right call for everyone involved.
“There was the concern of starting workouts and then seeing positive cases start to rise,” he said. “We were concerned about the students’ social activities or how they could pass the virus on to someone who is more susceptible.”
All of Richmond’s head coaches were required to develop workout plans that abided by the NCHSAA and the CDC guidelines. Once approved by the committee, that got the ball rolling to return sports.
When he and Ransom delivered their final plan to the Richmond County Board of Education in early August, he said the final decision was based on “what do we gain by going right now or what do we risk losing by starting right now.”
Over the last several weeks, Hadinger has spent his afternoons checking in football players at workouts. Wearing a Richmond Raider mask, he checks each player’s temperature and asks them 14 coronavirus-related questions before admitting them into the facility.
“Things are going smoothly right now,” Hadinger said of the workouts, which also include volleyball and cross country. “The big thing was getting supplies, and the school district has been great in getting us what we need.
“We’ve got plenty of masks and disinfectant in stock now, certainly enough to get started,” he continued. “Everyone is up to speed, and the players and coaches are happy to see each other.”
Hadinger also said with a grin that there have been “no hiccups” in any part of the check-in process for all of Richmond’s student-athletes.
As November nears, which will see the start of official volleyball and cross country practices begin Nov. 4, Hadinger said the key to remaining successful is taking the precautions and following protocols seriously.
The next step will be to incorporate more sport-specific drills into workouts across the board, including weight training and more small-group activities. The Raider football team started using dumbbells and medicine balls this week.
“Hopefully we can open numbers more when we show we’re safely following the guidelines,” Hadinger said. “We’ll continue to space things out, clean the equipment and work athletes with the same groups following the rules. We are also encouraging the 3 Ws.
“The best thing is to look at one day at a time, and we’ll get an answer when we get there,” he closed. “The November start is right around the corner, and if we continue to do what we’re doing, that will allow us to take another step.”
