LaTonja Lee, MS, ATC, PES, has a deep passion for exposing more girls to the athletic training profession. In 2019, Lee brought a program call Women in Athletic Training to the Girl Scouts of Nassau County (New York) (see p. 30 of the November 2019 NATA News).

Back-to-school season is right around the corner! As students approach their studies and sports return, athletic trainers also need to get equipped to serve their athletes’ health care needs.

This year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced NATA as a National Youth Sports Strategy (NYSS) Champion. NATA’s recognition was first highlighted in the December NATA News, which also serves as the association’s annual report.

This week is National Youth Sport Specialization Awareness Week. NATA has dedicated the third full week of October to youth sport specialization awareness to help reduce the risk of injury related to sport specialization and keep athletes safe and healthy.

To further advocate for the profession as well as positively impact schools that have had drastic budgets cuts of their athletics programs, NATA is partnering with the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation on its Get Game Ready campaign, which is supported by Icy Hot.

NATA, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) hosted a three-part virtual educational event to help parents, guardians and community leaders make informed decisions about sports participation during the pandemic.