Mike Hill, a track and field specialist and owner at Elite Timing and Event Management, wouldn’t want to work with anyone else besides the Ability Rehabilitation team for his events.
Track meets, races, and managing other timing events is a demanding and stressful business that requires accuracy, perfection, and error-free management. However, beyond the laser-like precision, there is a human side to managing big events that include large numbers of younger athletes.
“Working with Ability Rehabilitation has been fantastic,” says Mike. “They’re very professional and thorough. I’ve got a lot to do, and having them here just takes another thing off my mind. I’ve coached and ran in high school and college, and I understand everything the folks at Ability Rehabilitation do, and I’m very thankful for it.“
Industry Leader Recognizes the Benefits of On-Site Sports Medicine
After 10 years of building a reputation for accurate and dependable service, Elite Timing and Event Management has established itself as a leader in the timing business in the state of Florida. They have experience across a wide range of events ranging from small elementary school level track and field meets to cross country style 5K events with over 4,500 participants.
“This is our 10th year in business,” says Mike. “And we recognize the advantages of having professional therapists at the finish line. We go to dozens of meets a year, and I’ve seen anything from nobody being out there, to one of my employees having to go out and help.”
According to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the overall number of participants in high school sports increased for the 29th consecutive year in 2017-18, with outdoor track and field leading the way for girls and ranking No. 2 for boys.
“In Florida, it’s vital to have professional assistance and intelligence at the finish line to help these kids,” Mike continues. “You can have a kid pass out, lay on the ground, and they can get stepped on by another kid, who may also fall and get injured. I’ve seen someone break their arm at the finish line after crashing into a barrier and no professional people around who knew what they were doing.”
Track and field athletes, especially younger competitors, are susceptible to different kind of stress on their bodies than most other athletes. Various track and field events allow for many more potential injuries to occur to an athlete, and being smart about injury treatment and prevention help to eliminate these injuries.
“It’s essential to have sports medicine professionals on site who know how to recognize the signs of things like heat stroke and how to treat it when it is coming on, because it can be terrible,” says Mike.
Mike’s primary goal is to provide the highest quality, safe, and enjoyable experience for all those involved from the event director down to the final finisher. And he wouldn’t have anyone else be responsible for the safety of his timing and racing events.
“For anyone who is trying to put on a high school level meet, a college meet, or even a road race, Ability Rehabilitation is a great group to have,” he says.
“They are very knowledgeable and very encouraging to the athletes, which is fun to see. But above all, they provide a professional level of service and safety at the forefront of what they do. It makes me very happy when I come to an event, and someone has hired Ability Rehabilitation to run the shoot and the safety side of things.”
