Pin Collectors Meet at NATA 2025
An NATA 75th anniversary special event, hosted by the NATA Historical Commission, brought together pin collecting enthusiasts during the 76th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo June 24-27 in Orlando.
More than 30 athletic trainers and athletic training students attended the NATA Pin Collectors' Meet and Greet, organized by Historical Commission member Jeff Stone, MEd, LAT, ATC, an NATA Hall of Fame Class of 2012 member, to exchange and trade pins and patches.
AT Halloween Costume Idea
Last year we conducted a contest to promote #BetterTogether, which was the theme of the 67th Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. The winner of the contest ending up being Brock Wright (@brockwright14), a student at Truman State University, with his friend Aaron Patterson. Below he explains the process of creating the tape outfits they wore for the photos they submitted, so if you’re looking for a unique costume for Halloween this year, this is your guide. Here’s Brock:
Support for Hurricane Matthew Victims
Our thoughts are with the NATA members and their families who have been affected by Hurricane Matthew.
New International Awards, Grant Program
The NATA International Committee is proud to announce two important initiatives focused on furthering the recognition of athletic training and athletic trainers on a global scale.
Concussion Handout
The November NATA News features an article about concussion research being conducted by Eric Swartz, PhD, ATC, FNATA, chair of the Kinesiology Department at the University of New Hampshire. Swartz received a $500,000 Head Health II grant from the NFL and GE to study whether or not the Helmetless Tackling Training - or HuTT technique - can minimize head trauma in football. Read more about his study on p. 12 of the November 2016 NATA News.
HIPAA's 20th Anniversary
By Kara Gainer
Did you know HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) recently celebrated its 20th anniversary? As you may recall, President Bill Clinton signed HIPAA into law on Aug. 21, 1996. After having noticed various media outlets reporting on HIPAA’s 20th anniversary, I was prompted to look more closely at the law whose acronym we all are at least somewhat familiar with.
Practice Makes Perfect
By Chris Snoddy MA, LAT, ATC
The wise phrase “Practice makes perfect" is used to convey that regular exercise of an activity or skill is the way to become proficient in it according to one internet source. How good would your sports teams be if they never practiced? How good would surgeons be if they had not practiced on cadavers earlier in their career? Athletic trainers work with coaches and orthopedic surgeons daily. Everyone realizes how much time athletes spend practicing before a game or the years of cadaver practice surgeons have before they perform surgery.
Tribute to Jack Baynes
By Jeff Stone
Past President – ATOM
Past District One Director
Our little “Athletic Training World” lost a true gentleman on Wednesday…
Jack Baynes’ star shined brightly throughout his career and on all whom he cared for…a warm, humbling, caring practitioner of sports medicine, he balanced his profession with a love of family and friends…
“The world has lost a beautiful soul.” Paul Lessard
“I learned from Jack…how to be humble and care about people.” Steve Kennelly
Share Weight Management Handout
Sometimes, an athlete will associate their weight and appearance with their athletic performance. They might feel pressure to look a certain way in order to perform at their best. Unsafe weight-control behaviors can threaten the athlete’s health, however, there are ways an athlete can safely manage their weight and body composition.
Get To Know Bucky Taylor
The October NATA News features a profile on longtime Mesquite Independent School District athletic trainer Bucky Taylor, MEd, ATC, LAT. Throughout his 36-plus-year career, Taylor has focused on concussion management and care. In addition to writing hisschool district’s return-to-play policy, Taylor, along with friend Dennis Hart, ATC, LAT, helped create Texas’ concussion law.
Update on SOC and S. 689
The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system is utilized by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. The SOC differs from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which provides information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations. The SOC was established in 1994 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and it has been revised twice, in 2000 and 2010, by the inter-agency SOC Revision Policy Commission (SOCPC).