NATA Now

By Beth Sitzler

As Kansas City Chiefs Head Athletic Trainer Rick Burkholder, MS, ATC, addressed the NATAPAC Breakfast crowd Thursday, June 23, his message was clear: “You are all leaders in this profession. People are looking to us for direction. We must come through as leaders.”

Burkholder, president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, spoke to the audience about leadership and the impact those willing to lead can have on the athletic training profession.

As you walk toward the Baltimore Convention Center, you’ll notice a familiar shade of blue along the way. From the banners hanging from the light posts to the NATA decals placed on the sidewalk, NATA 2016 has left its mark on the Charmed City.

With more than 7,900 confirmed attendees, 1,209 exhibitor personnel and 1,910 guests registered, more than 11,100 participants will convene in Baltimore for the 67th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo held through Saturday, June 25.

Megan Hammonds, MA, LAT, ATC, is the athletic trainer for women’s basketball at Old Dominion University and serves as the District Three representative for the NATA Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC). She was part of the group of athletic trainers who hit Capitol Hill yesterday to advocate for the profession, and she took a few minutes out of her busy day to reminisce with us about her first NATA convention.

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, who was born in Baltimore, participated in the NATA press conference Thursday, June 23, in the Hilton Baltimore. The press conference focused on “Reducing Your Risk in Work, Life and Sport: An Education Public Health Initiative.” During the press conference, NATA unveiled protocols and recommendations to keep individuals safe and reduce risk of injury in work, life and play.

Jack Weakley, as theJohnson & Johnson national sales manager, addressed the crowd of the 1989 NATA convention in Baltimore. While J&J has always had close ties to the athletic training profession and NATA, it became one of the association’s founding strategic partners in the 1990s.

As J&J Day kicks off today in Swing Hall of the Baltimore Convention Center, we wanted to take the opportunity to look back at the decades-long partnership between Johnson & Johnson, NATA and the athletic training profession.

NATA would like to congratulate all of its 2016 award winners, who will be honored during the 67th Clinical Symposia & AT Expo at 2 p.m. today in Swing Hall of the Baltimore Convention Center.

Chris Hall, MA, AT, LAT, and Marisa Brunett, Marisa Brunett, MS, LAT, ATC, are beginning their terms on the NATA Board of Directors today. Hall, the manager of business development for Ben Hogan Sports Medicine in Texas, is taking over for outgoing District Six Director Kathy Dieringer, EdD, ATC, LAT, while Brunett, the director of outpatient and community services for Nirvana Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics in Florida, takes the reigns from outgoing District Nine Director MaryBeth Horodyski, EdD, ATC, FNATA.

From expert chats to the annual NATA Foundation 5K, Gatorade is presenting a wide range of educational opportunities and fun events for convention-goers in Baltimore.

The next time you snap a selfie, photograph a sunset or conduct an impromptu photoshoot of your lunch, use that image to raise funds for the NATA Research & Education Foundation. Thanks to the Donate a Photo app, for each snapshot you upload to the app from now through July 31, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 (up to $15,000), to the NATA Foundation.

The Donate a Photo campaign is a J&J corporate initiative created by Pam Edels to support various worthy causes.

Whether you’re flying or driving to Baltimore for NATA 2016, the last thing you want to do is stress about getting where you need to go and arriving on time. To help you make your way to the various convention event locations, NATA has put together handy information on airport transportation, parking and shuttle service.