Athletes’ Ally: AdventHealth Athletic Trainer returns to Flagler Palm Coast High School

Ron Steinwehr’s dedication has an enduring influence on local student athletes.

After a 16-year hiatus, AdventHealth athletic trainer Ron Steinwehr returned to Flagler Palm Coast (FPC) High School in 2021 after the hospital system became the Official Health Care Champion for Flagler Schools.

Originally from New Jersey, Steinwehr earned his master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Florida, and from 1996 to 2004, he was a full-time teacher and athletic trainer at FPC High School. After the birth of his third child in 2003, he wanted to spend more time with his family and left his role at FPC to become a Florida Virtual School teacher and work on weekends as an athletic trainer for club team, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) events.

Steinwehr’s return to FPC High School has been welcomed by the community, with many feeling as though he never left, Brent Woronoff reports in this feature story in The Palm Coast Observer.

“He was my athletic trainer,” Scott Drabczyk, FPC High School's athletic director, who graduated from the school in 2001, told The Observer. “He’s seen a lot of us come through.”

As AdventHealth athletic trainer today, Steinwehr works with approximately 700 student athletes and stays on campus until the last athletic event ends, providing evaluations, treatment and check-ins. He also ensures the student athletes have comprehensive clinical support, connecting them with resources like team doctor Dr. Michael Campbell, a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon.

“Ron makes sure that there's a care circle around the athletes,” Erik Nason, who manages the sports medicine partnership for AdventHealth's East Florida Division, told The Observer. “The athletes are never without an arm's reach distance from someone that can support them, especially if they're going through an injury.”

While many athletic trainers aspire to work in college or professional sports, Steinwehr finds fulfillment right where he is today, appreciating the pure enjoyment of the game among the students.

“You get to know the kids really well. You get to know their brothers and sisters, their moms and dads, their background stories. It's a special time in their life, and you get to share that,” he told The Observer.

AdventHealth’s formal partnership with Flagler Schools began in 2021 and represents a $750,000 commitment from the health care organization to bolster student mental health, provide care for student athletes, and establish more career pathways for graduates.

AdventHealth also provides free sports physicals and ECG screenings to students entering 6th-12th grades to ensure young athletes are ready to play sports in the new school year. This year’s free pre-participation sports physicals will be at Flagler Palm Coast High School on May 15 and 16 from 5 pm to 9 pm. Registration will open on March 4.

See the full story by The Observer here.