Dr. Keith Feder/XFL
“Helping Inner City Youth is an ongoing mission”
When Keith Feder, MD of the West Coast Center for Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine was recently named Medical Director and Team Physician for the XFL Wildcats Football Team, the Co-Founder of the “West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation” (WCSMF) knew he could continue on his path to help inner city youth achieving great things.
“I am very excited about this new opportunity as this will help us spread the word about possibilities and dreams for children that might otherwise not have a chance to chase after their dreams”, says Feder. “Every young athlete, no matter the economic background, should have at least the opportunity to dream big and pursue his or her dream”, Feder continues.
XFL
The WCSMF is a non-profit organization lead by Jill Slight who was recently awarded the Far West Athletic Training Award. This award is a unique and prestigious accolade, which recognizes a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association who displays an exceptional commitment to mentoring, professional development, and enhancing the quality of health care, as well as, demonstrates the highest level of service, professionalism, and competence.
The WCSMF under the leadership of Feder and Slight provides free medical care to low-income high school districts in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Keith S. Feder founded the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation-Team to Win program in 1994. His newest engagement with the Los Angeles Wildcats Football team will be another stepping stone to express his passion about helping inner city youth to excel in life.
WCSMF helps High School Students with scholarships
The Foundation also hosts a sports medicine mentoring program every summer, and provides internship opportunities for those interested in the field, as well as, sponsoring between 6 and 8 scholarships for high school students who wish to pursue an education in sports medicine.
By working with the XFL, Feder and his medical staff are “very much looking forward to helping the team”. The XFL seems to have a built in fanbase set to support the league right off the bat.
Fans will be able to watch games on various ESPN and Fox networks throughout the season. The league is made up of eight teams, split into two divisions. The East Division features the Defenders, New York Guardians, St. Louis BattleHawks and Tampa Bay Vipers. The West Division features the Roughnecks, Wildcats, Dragons and Dallas Renegades.
Dr. Feder will lead the medical team
Dr. Feder will not only be on the sidelines during the Wildcats games, he will also lead all medical and surgery plans for the entire team.
His participation in high school and collegiate athletics has given him first-hand knowledge of what can occur during sports participation. His expertise in sports medicine is the reason professional athletes and sports organizations, such as USA Weightlifting, the DEW-NBC Action Tour, Cal State University Dominguez Hills, L.A. Southwest College, L.A. Harbor College, the Nike Real Run Professional Basketball League, and the Los Angeles Rugby Club, depend on him as their Chief Orthopedic Consultant.
Dr. Feder served as Medical Director/Team Physician and Chief Orthopedic Consultant to the Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL Hockey Team for 7 years as well as the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) for 10 years, and the L.A. Triathlon. Dr. Feder participated as a Team Physician in the 1996 Summer Olympics (Beach Volleyball) and the 2000 Summer Olympics (Olympic Weight Lifting). Dr. Feder is an orthopedic consultant to the National Hockey League (NHLPA) Players Association.
In regards to starting the foundation, Dr. Feder said, “as an orthopedic surgeon and team doctor covering local schools in the area, I knew that the underprivileged inner city youth were receiving less than optimal care. Jill and I knew that we could do more for this underserved community. Certified Athletic Trainers are critical and necessary in providing outstanding and elite medical care to all athletes. With Jill’s passionate leadership, TTW sports medicine care and mentoring programs continue to be impactful.”
Sleight is an alumna of the Athletic Training Program at San Diego State University. She has been active in the profession at the state level holding leadership positions within the California Athletic Trainers’ Association and pushing the fight for licensure in California.
WCSMF- provides more than 1 million dollars per year in free medical care as well as provides Sports Medicine education and CPR/AED training to more than 400 high school students per year in the mentoring program. WCSMF continues to be the only program in the entire U.S. providing these free outreach services.
Write a comment: