Sports Performance

Athletic Trainers (ATs) are healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians and whose services comprise prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Learn more here from the National Athletic Trainers' Association.  

GFS Athletic Trainers:

Eric Aurelien MS, LAT, ATC  - Athletic Trainer
Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training - Springfield College
Masters of Science in Kinesiology - Temple University
Eric Aurelien was appointed as an Athletic Trainer in 2018 after serving as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer from 2015-2017. Before returning to GFS as a full-time athletic trainer, Eric served as the Assistant Athletic Trainer at the Pomfret School, a boarding school in Connecticut. He brings with him a focus on developing pediatric rehabilitation protocols and knowledge of working with athletes with disabilities. In addition, Eric teaches a public health course within the Health Education department at GFS.

Morgan Wambold MS, LAT, ATC, NASM-PES, CNC - Athletic Trainer
Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training - University of Pittsburgh
Masters of Science in Kinesiology - Temple University
Morgan Wambold has been a full-time Athletic Trainer since 2019 after serving as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer at GFS and the William Penn Charter School from 2017-2019. Morgan brings with her a focus on the evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of pediatric injuries. She also focuses her continuing education on injury prevention and rehabilitation of overhead athletes. In addition, Morgan continues pursuing additional certifications in the field of Sports Nutrition, and has become a Certified Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. 

The Athletic Training staff also works closely with GFS school counselors to take care of students' whole wellbeing. Many of the counselors are former Division I and III athletes who have a unique insight into the lives of student-athletes. 

GFS Team Physician: 

Matthew Grady MD, FAAP, CAQSM
Matt Grady, a GFS parent (P ‘18, P’ 20), is a pediatric sports medicine specialist in the Division of Orthopedic Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as the GFS Team Physician. Dr. Grady’s expertise includes: concussions in pediatric athletes, injury prevention, overuse injuries in pediatric athletes, pediatric injuries, and stress fractures. As the supervising physician of our athletic trainers, Dr. Grady collaborates with Aurelien and Wambold to ensure our student- athletes are receiving current and evidence- based health care. Dr. Grady is available by appointment, before school on certain days, coordinated through Aurelien and Wambold. 

Athletic Training Rooms: 
On Campus: The AT Room is located in the Scattergood Gym and is utilized in the mornings of the fall and spring seasons, as well as during athletic practices and games during the winter sport season. 
Off Campus: The AT Room is located at the GFS Playing Fields, behind the boys' locker room, and is open during athletic practices and games during the fall and spring seasons. 

Contact: 
Eric Aurelien: eaurelien@germantownfriends.org
Morgan Wambold: mwambold@germantownfriends.org
Unsure of who to contact? Contact both ATs at sportsmedicine@germantownfriends.org

Hours: During lunch periods or practice times
If necessary, email to coordinate a time. 

GFS AT Staff employs numerous evidence-based therapies. 

Myofascial Decompression - Cupping Therapy
Myofascial Decompression, which includes cupping therapy, is a combination of techniques and tools used to assess and correct movement-based impairments by including elements of active movements combined with neuromuscular re-education techniques through the manipulation of the body’s myofascial properties. Cupping was made popular in the 2016 Olympics thanks to the sports medicine team of the USA Swimming Team; however it has been used in various forms for over two thousand years. It is characterized by circular marks that are sometimes left of the skin after treatment. These marks are normal and usually subside in a few days. Learn more. 

Manual Therapy & IASTM (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization)
Manual Therapy and IASTM techniques target the myofascia, a connective tissue surrounding muscles, which can restrict range of motion, decrease strength, and decrease endurance if it is inactive, injured, or inflamed. The use of these techniques is useful for alleviating muscle stiffness, decreasing pain, and improving range of motion. Learn more. 

Therapeutic Ultrasound/Combo
The purpose of Ultrasound is to stimulate the repair of soft tissue and relieve pain through the use of acoustic vibrations of high frequency that produce thermal and non-thermal physiologic effects. Learn more. 

Electrical Stimulation
Electrical Stimulation, also known as e-stim, sends electric impulses through a medium that can help to decrease pain and relax muscles as well as to encourage muscle contraction in muscles that have had neuromuscular damage due to injuries. Learn more.

Therapeutic Exercise & Exercise Modifications 
The GFS sports medicine team follows the philosophy of “injured but never out.” When students are recovering from injury, the ATs work with the athlete’s coach, as well as our strength coach, Matt Sheehan, to allow for continued improvement while not exacerbating their injury. This philosophy allows our students to continue being active, encourages a safer and faster return to sport, and helps provide social support.

A concussion is an injury to the brain that results in the alteration of normal brain function. It usually is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. In many cases, there are no external signs of head trauma and often a person with a concussion never loses consciousness.

Return to Play Protocol
Once a student has been medically cleared from their concussion and has successfully returned to a full academic courseload without extra academic accommodations, they may begin the GFS Return to Play Protocol (RTP). A clearance note from a healthcare provider is a clearance to begin the RTP, not full activity.

Five Steps:
A graduated 5-step Return To Play is performed to ensure a safe return to sport for student-athletes. A student must be asymptomatic before starting our RTP. During the RTP, student athletes will fill out a Post-Concussion Symptom Checklist with the athletic training staff before and after practice. The successful completion of a step includes not presenting with any symptoms before, during, or after activity, as well as the 24 hours between steps. If a student becomes symptomatic during any of these times they will wait 24 hours before attempting to pass the step again. If students are asymptomatic during a step and the 24 hours following, they may progress to the next step.

Step 1: Light aerobic activity - Typically consists of light biking or running 

Step 2: Moderate aerobic activity - Typically consists of moderate biking or running

Step 3: Intense anaerobic activity - Typically consists of an anaerobic exercise circuit

Step 4: Non-Contact Practice - If applicable, a student participates in practice through drills but no live play in which they can come into unsafe contact with another athlete

Step 5: Full Contact Practice - If applicable a student has a normal practice in which they come into normal contact with other students in their sport

Step 6: The student is back to full participation in practice, trainings, and competitions

Want a downloadable version? View and print the GFS Sports Medicine Frequently Asked Questions here. 

GFS' Strength and Conditioning program is available to all students, faculty, and staff.

For student-athletes, strength and conditioning is an integral part of their overall training while in- and off-season. Athletes train under the direction of Matt Sheehan, PE Teacher and Head Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach, in the school's state-of-the-art R. Chase McDaniel III '50 Weight Room, installed in 2019. 

For students who are not active on a team during a particular season, the weight room and professional staff are available as part of GFS' comprehensive Physical Education Program. Faculty and staff may use the facility at any time and may schedule an appointment for instruction and training with Sheehan. 

Matt Sheehan, PE Teacher and Head Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach
B.S. in Criminal Justice/Sociology/History, LaSalle University
M.S. in Education, LaSalle University
Prior to GFS, Sheehan served as the Assistant Strength Coach and Director of Player Development for Lasalle University Men's Basketball, where he also played. Sheehan has a passion for teaching about the whole human body: from the importance of sleep to navigating a weight room, and moving the body in a way that feels good. 

Colleen Finegan, founder of the non-profit Positive Coaching and Leadership Group (PCLG), works with GFS student-athletes to improve their mental wellness, as it relates to sports, through mental skills training. Her workshops and training sessions are an integral part of the Upper School and Middle School programs for in- and off-season athletes and coaching staff. 

While mental wellness has been a focus on the collegiate and professional levels with mental health practitioners to support their athletes, GFS in partnership with PCLG believes that it is as important to train your mind as it is your body at a young age. Finegan's mental skills training aims to have a positive effect on participation, self-esteem, and self-concept, as well as reducing anxiety, symptoms of stress, and improving overall athlete well-being. The benefits of improved concentration, regulation of emotions, and a state of flow leads to optimism, Finegan states, which is critical to improving athletic performance and coping with a sport-related slump. 

Finegan's mental wellness program also includes a unique playbook to assist coaches and parents in providing mental skills training for young athletes. Topics include Visualization, Positive Self-Talk, Goal-setting, Gratitude, Journaling, and Mindfulness. 

In addition to GFS, PCLG works with AAU teams, schools, and a private sports academy to help strengthen student-athletes' mindsets and improve their overall performance. 

Outside of her work with PCLG, Finegan is the founding general manager and head basketball coach for AAU Lower Merion Storm, and head basketball coach for Waldron Mercy Academy and LM Hoops. She also coaches and serves as coordinator for the Narberth Girls Basketball Summer League.

Finegan earned her M.Ed. in  Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership from the University of Missouri, her M.S. in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas, and her B.S. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, Finegan was a four-year letter winner on the Women's Basketball team and co-captain; a career 1000 point scorer; and the all-time leader in 3-pointers in a game, single season and career at the time of graduation Finegan was an All-Ivy and All-Big 5 selection over several seasons.

National Athletic Trainers' Association
Children Hospital of Philadelphia Orthopedics