About Us

Each year more than 600 student-athletes at Myrtle Beach High School and Myrtle Beach Middle School participate in inter-scholastic athletics. With that many young people participating each year, injuries and illnesses are a fact of life.

Charged with trying to reduce the likelihood of injury and with dealing with those injuries when they do occur, are members of the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program.

Established in 1991 under the leadership of Head Athletic Trainer, Jim Berry, MEd, ATC, SCAT/EMT-B, the sports medicine program has grown from a tiny training room facility and limited services into a nationally recognized program of excellence. Today Seahawk athletes receive medical care that is comparable to that which is found at most Division I colleges and universities.

Seahawk athletes are cared for by a staff of five team physicians, two NATA certified athletic trainers, a volunteer sports medicine assistant, 12 student athletic trainers, and affiliated paramedical professionals including physical therapists and a sports psychologist.

The Seahawk Sports Medicine Program is a full-service program offering numerous services to our student athletes including athletic training services, medical referral services, rehabilitation, counseling, and sports dentistry. In fact, Myrtle Beach High School is the only high school in the state of South Carolina which offers a custom mouthguard program. Students participating in sports where mouthguards are required or recommended are custom fitted for mouthguards at MBHS and then those mouthguards are manufactured in a dental lab set up at the high school.

The Seahawk Sports Medicine Program also prides itself in the support for the community and community events. Members of the sports medicine staff have volunteered their time and expertise to provide medical coverage for numerous community recreational activities and other community based sporting events. In addition, specialized equipment like our medical golf cart and Gator Med-Bed are always available for use by medical personnel in the community such as the Myrtle Beach Fire Department, the Myrtle Beach Rescue Squad, and other related organizations. Finally, each December, the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program opens it training room facilities to the South Carolina North/South All-Star Football teams and their medical staffs.

Each year more than 2,000 visits are recorded in the Seahawk Training Room. Athletes visit the training room for a variety of reasons from the most minor of injuries to the most serious fractures. On average, the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program provides more than $75,000 worth of medical care free-of-charge to Seahawk athletes during a typical school year.

In 1994, the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program was recognized by "Athletic Management Magazine" as it's National Award of Excellence Winner in the area of Athletic Training. In 1996, the magazine again recognized the program with an Honorable Mention in the same category.

It is the mission of the Seahawk Sports Medicine Program to continually strive towards providing the best possible athletic health care for student-athletes at Myrtle Beach High School and Myrtle Beach Middle School. The Seahawk Sports Medicine Program continually strives to improve upon the knowledge currently available in the fields of athletic training and sports medicine.