NATA Now

August 22, 2025 by Beth Sitzler

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. 

June 17, 2014 by NATA Staff

Six Word Declaration Project

One of our National Athletic Training Month activities was the 6 Word Declaration Project, an initiative where ATs use six words or less to respond to a prompt. The responses are always really clever and interesting. Here are some of our favorites:

Why choose athletic training?
  • Make a difference in others’ lives!
  • Because I care about athlete safety.
  • Not a choice; it's a calling.
  • Provide stellar medical care to athletes
  • Help athletes achieve their goals safely
June 13, 2014 by NATA Staff

Complete List of NATA Foundation Auction Items

The 2014 NATA Research & Education Foundation Silent Auction will feature some great items again this year. Find the Silent Auction booth in the NATA Connect section of the AT Expo in Indianapolis. All proceeds from the auction go toward funding athletic training scholarships and research grants.     
June 12, 2014 by NATA Staff

AT Plans Fundraising Hike to Benefit Research, Families Affected by Progeria Disease

Although she’d never hiked a day in her life previously, the idea for a fundraising hike seemed to pop into her head naturally. Ruhf, MS, ATC, LAT, athletic trainer for Lower Moreland School District in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., attended a church retreat with Phyllis Falcone in October, whose two children were known to have progeria, a genetic disease that causes shortened lifespans and usually leads to strokes and heart attacks.
 

June 10, 2014 by NATA Staff

Students: Making the Most of the NATA Convention

By Jeremy Hawkins, PhD, ATC, ATP Director, Colorado Mesa University
 
Soon, athletic trainers and AT students from across the country will gather for the NATA Convention. I would like to take a minute to discuss a few things that athletic training students can do to prepare for the annual event. Since I know that not everyone can attend the convention, I will break my suggestions into two sections: one for those who will be there and one for those who will not.
 
For students who are going to convention:
June 6, 2014 by NATA Staff

Quiz Bowl Field Set!

The 10 teams that will compete at the 2014 NATA Quiz Bowl in Indianapolis have been determined. Scheduled for 5 p.m. on June 27 at the convention, the Quiz Bowl is now in its sixth year and features teams from each district in a two-round Jeopardy-style competition. More than bragging rights will be on the line as the winning team receives $1,000 toward the school’s athletic training program or club. The second and third place teams will receive $500 and $250 respectively.
June 4, 2014 by NATA Staff

The First NATA Meeting

By Matt Webber, MA, ATC, www.athletictraininghistory.com

When NATA meets for the 65th time this June, the athletic trainers who attend will find a well-planned symposium with a wide variety of topics. Few of the 10,000 or so attendees will stop to think about the difficulty of successfully pulling off such a large meeting. This is a credit to both the innumerable volunteers and NATA staff, for there was a time when a meeting 100 times smaller could not be accomplished by those attempting to do so.

May 30, 2014 by NATA Staff

PR Contest Winners Announced!

We are excited to announce the winners of the 2014 NATA Public Relations contest. 
For complete coverage of the PR Contest winners and their efforts, be sure to read the article about them that will be featured in the July issue of the NATA News.

Best Student Effort:
2 Winners University of Montana


May 29, 2014 by NATA Staff

President Obama Announces NATA/NFL Collaboration

NATA, in collaboration with the Professional Football Athletic Trainers’ Society, will support a national initiative to place athletic trainers in underserved high schools in NFL markets during the 2014 football season. The National Football League Foundation and NFL teams will provide $1 million, with NATA adding another $125,000, to improve the health and welfare of those student athletes. President Barack Obama announced this initiative during the White House Healthy Kids and Concussion Summit in Washington, DC, this morning.
 

May 27, 2014 by NATA Staff

Process to Update the Standard Occupational Classification System Announced

NATA is planning to submit a response on behalf of the athletic training profession requesting a change to the classification of athletic trainers in the Standard Occupational Classification system. The Department of Labor announced the update process, which includes a public comment period, on May 22. Updates to the classifications are infrequent, and ATs are currently classified at the technician level.