FRIDAY NIGHT DOCS

THE CHANCE to assist others in need is the driving force behind many doctors’ decisions to help out on Friday nights, even after a long week of work. At above left, Dr. Patricia Baumann and Dr. Anthony Allotta work the sidelines for Space Coast High; and Dr. David Campbell, above right, assists a player during a Merritt Island Christian game.

Dr. Anthony Lombardo

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA - A quick glance at any sideline along the Space Coast will tell you that high school football is a painful game to watch, let alone play. Twisted ankles, knee injuries and concussions are just a few of the consequences of strapping on a helmet and hitting the gridiron.

But, Space Coast players, parents and fans can rest easy knowing that a talented group of doctors and trainers are on the sidelines each week, ready to lend a helping hand.

The chance to assist others in need is the driving force behind many doctors’ decisions to help out on Friday nights, even after a long week of work.  For some, like Dr. Anthony Lombardo, there is a real need to be on the sidelines.

A 1982 graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Lombardo is in his third year working as team doctor for Viera High, a fourth-year school which is playing just its third full year of varsity football.

BROTHER PHYSICIANS, Drs. David and Steven Badolato work as primary care physicians and service the Viera High athletic program. Megan Heronemus, flanked by David and Steven, is the Hawk’s athletic trainer.

As a fledgling school trying to gain footing with some of the Space Coast’s best, Viera is taking its lumps on the gridiron.

“You need a doctor there to help,” said Lombardo, who works out of Greenspoon Orthopedics. “I like to help the community and give back to the community for what they have given me.”

Lombardo, who is board-certified in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery, also provides sports physicals for Viera High and assists with soccer and cheerleading. He previously worked for Merritt Island High for 15 years.

“He does a lot for our athletes,” Viera girls’ basketball coach Tim Rooney said.

Dr. Lombardo often works on the sidelines alongside brother physicians, Drs. David and Steven Badolato, who work as primary care physicians for a Suntree health clinic.  “The Badolatos have been awesome,” Lombardo said. “Physicians should be there. It has a huge impact. Things happen.”

DR. PATRICIA BAUMANN & DR. ANTHONY ALLOTA

DR. PATRICIA BAUMANN and Dr. Anthony Allotta attend to Space Coast Jr./Sr. High player Brandon Levi during a game at the school’s Pt. St. John home field. “It makes the parents more confident when a doctor is on the sidelines,” said Dr. Baumann, an orthopedic surgeon who has worked the sidelines for the last three years for the Vipers.

It is that very selfless attitude that has helped ease the mind of many a parent. “It makes the parents more confident when a doctor is on the sidelines,” said Dr. Patricia Baumann, an orthopedic surgeon who has worked the sidelines for the last three years for Space Coast Jr./Sr. High.

Dr. Baumann said injuries vary from week to week, with ankle problems and bruises being the norm. She praised her sideline partner, Dr. Anthony Allotta, for his assistance with the school.

DR. BRUCE THOMAS

“The number one thing for me is being involved in the community, and an aptitude and love for the sports,” said Dr. Bruce Thomas, a specialist in sports medicine for MIMA and a 20-year contributor on the Space Coast.

“There is a need (for doctors). There have been times as I get older that I’d say maybe I’d like to work somewhere else, but I don’t want to.”

Thomas is one of many doctors who volunteer their services to Space Coast teams on a weekly basis during the long 10-week regular season and the subsequent postseason. They are the ones who are least recognizable to most, quietly pacing almost incognito up and down the sidelines. But, their efforts put them among the game’s most valuable players.

Dr. Bruce Thomas

“The value they provide to individual schools is tremendous,” said Eau Gallie High football coach Todd Oas, whose program has been covered by Dr. Thomas for the last three seasons.

A graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine in 1980, Dr. Thomas is well-known for his contributions to Melbourne High, where he worked as team physician from 1985 to 2003 before leaving to work full-time for the Montreal Expos and later the Washington Nationals. He returned to the Space Coast in 2006.

Thomas, who worked in family practice for 10 years before going into sports medicine in 1993,  is almost everywhere during the school year. He works football, basketball and baseball games. He even gets to junior varsity and freshman football games when he can, as well as some varsity road games.

Not surprisingly, Thomas has endured his share of scary moments.

“I think the worst I saw was in the mid-1990s at Mel-Hi when a kid suffered a neck injury and he was temporarily paralyzed,” he said.

“He was a defensive back who was in on a goal-line stand to win the game. His injury required surgery. He turned out okay, but he didn’t play anymore. It was scary.”

Paralysis, temporary or otherwise, is a rare occurrence on the football field. Thomas said knee injuries are the most common, followed by ankle injuries and head and neck problems.

“The kids get ‘burners,’ which are nerve compressions, after they hit someone with their helmet,” Thomas said. “It’s when the kids get ‘popped on the hat,’ as they say.”

DR. BEN STOREY & MARK STOREY

Dr. Ben Storey, who has been a team physician at Astronaut High since its inception in 1972, knows all about tragic circumstances on the football field. Formerly the team physician for Titusville High from 1959 to 1971, he was there the night a THS football player sustained an injury in a game against Eau Gallie that left him paralyzed for life. The player died recently.

FATHER-SON PHYSICIANS, Drs. Ben and Mark Storey have taken care of the Titusville High and Astronaut High athletic teams since 1959.

“Usually, it’s just knee injuries and then there’s ankle injuries,” said Storey, an Indiana University School of Medicine graduate who worked in family practice from 1959 to 2004 before retiring.

Storey comes from a tradition-rich sports family, passionately loves his work with the teams and has been such an integral part of the Titusville sports scene that he was inducted into the inaugural Astronaut High School Sports Hall of Fame as a community contributor in the late 1990s.

“Sports is a good outlet,” Storey said. “My purpose is to help the kids when they’re in trouble. I feel like I need to be there to help the kids.”

Storey did so well that he made a profound impression on son, Mark Storey, who went on to earn a medical degree and has worked as a team physician at AHS, alongside his father, for the last 20 years. The two can be seen at all varsity games, as well as JV and freshman contests.

“We are very proud and lucky to have Dr. Ben and Dr. Mark being a part of our program for years,” AHS football coach Randy Hallock said. “Their contributions and dedication have been unbelievable and are greatly appreciated.”

DR. MARK PINSKY

Despite their contributions, some doctors feel more can be done on the Space Coast to protect the safety of student-athletes.  Dr. Mark Pinsky, who is board-certified in sports medicine and family practice with an office in Melbourne, said the Brevard County School Board needs to ensure that all county high schools have a full-time trainer on staff. Only a handful of schools currently have a full-time trainer.

Dr. Mark Pinsky

“I think it’s extremely important,” said Pinsky, who works the sidelines for Palm Bay High and Melbourne Central Catholic. “It’s been well underplayed in this county. A lot of our schools are understaffed. In order to take your program to the next level, you need to have a fully-licensed athletic trainer on staff.

“The county has gotten really lucky so far (in regards to dealing with injuries),” Pinsky said. “I’ve promoted (hiring full-time trainers) from year to year to year. It goes far beyond what they’re paid.”

Pinsky’s expertise, alone, may eventually sway the county to hire more trainers. He did his fellowship in 1995-96 with the Cleveland Indians. He has worked as a team doctor for MCC for the last 10 years and is in his fifth year at Palm Bay.  “I wanted to be involved in the community,” he said. “I’ve always found this to be rewarding.”

Dr. Charles Stewart

DR. CHARLES STEWART

The doctors’ contributions go far beyond, though, than just being a presence on the sideline and caring for the injured.  Satellite High football coach Rob Mentillo said Dr. Charles Stewart and school trainer Brian Baney always give their opinions on an athlete’s playing ability. Stewart is a longtime contributor to the school.

“Dr. Stewart, Brian Baney and I have an excellent working relationship,” Mentillo said. “I think this is important because I can trust them to consider the athlete, as well as the injury. Sometimes, (an athlete) can play and it won’t be a problem. But, sometimes, (an athlete) shouldn’t. For me, this makes game night better. If I have a player who is not acting normal and I ask him what is wrong, “nothing” is a normal reply. I send them to Brian and he will let me know what is going on. If Brian is not sure, he sends them to Dr. Stewart.

DR. RANDY RIGDON and Athletic Trainer Nadine DeFreitas examine Merritt Island High player Joey Stonebraker.

“While I pride myself in knowing the kids, injuries are not my field and I think it is very important that we have medical people around to check kids out,” Mentillo said.

“This is not an area that should be scrimped on and it is a reflection of our community and the wonderful people in it that these doctors and trainers are willing to invest their time and energy in our youth. I read somewhere that it takes a village to raise a child. We should be very proud of the village we live in and the people that live here with us.”

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