NATA Now | NATA

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.

April 29, 2014 by NATA Staff

Professional Advice from 2014 Hall of Famers

The May issue of the NATA News is always one of my favorite magazines each year. It's our opportunity to spotlight the best and brightest in the profession, the newest members of the NATA Hall of Fame.

April 25, 2014 by NATA Staff

Legislative Success in the State of Washington

By Craig Bennett, MA, ATC, Washington State Athletic Trainers' Association President

On April 3, it was my profound pleasure to inform the membership of the Washington State Athletic Trainers’ Association that we had made history! The day before, a few of us had traveled to Olympia to watch Governor Jay Inslee sign HB 2430 into law.

April 24, 2014 by NATA Staff

2014 Boston Marathon: More Runners, More Security, More ATs

Of the 36 Boston Marathon events he’s worked as a medical volunteer, Brian FitzGerald, BSN, ATC, LAT, the event’s longtime athletic training coordinator, said this year was the most memorable.

With many more individuals running the race this year — about 36,000 in total — the number of medical volunteers increased to almost 2,000. Of that group, 230 were athletic trainers and AT students.

April 23, 2014 by NATA Staff

Introducing Our 2014 Johnson & Johnson Keynote Speaker

We are thrilled to announce our 2014 Johnson & Johnson Keynote Speaker is Captain Mark Kelly, a homegrown hero!

Kelly’s resumé is extensive: combat pilot in Iraq, astronaut on four space shuttle missions, commander of the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, prostate cancer survivor and best-selling author. Already a celebrated American, Kelly became the center of international attention after the January 2011 assassination attempt on his wife, former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

April 17, 2014 by NATA Staff

NATA Commemorates JATO Partnership in Tokyo

President Jim Thornton recently traveled to Tokyo to commemorate a new affiliate partnership with NATA. Read on to find out more about his trip, what the partnerships means for NATA and what he loved most about Japanese culture.

Why did you go to Japan? Was it your first time?

April 16, 2014 by NATA Staff

Creative Idea for Inspiring Students

Ashley Reed, MS, ATC, an ATP faculty member at Kent State University, recently shared the way her program helps motivate and inspire students:

April 15, 2014 by NATA Staff

FAQ: Safe Sports School Award

By Judy Pulice, NATA Senior National Manager of State Legislative & Regulatory Affairs

Recent conversations with a number of NATA members indicate there may be confusion about the new Safe Sports School Award. Down here in Dallas at NATA Headquarters, we feel it’s important that members – especially those working in the secondary school setting – have the correct information about the award and understand its intent.

April 11, 2014 by NATA Staff

NATM 2014 Wrap Up and Winners

Now that the book has been closed on National Athletic Training Month 2014, we wanted to look back and express our appreciation to all the ATs who participated. The response via social media during the month was phenomenal, with the hashtag #NATM2014 being used over 19,000 times on Twitter. We also had an amazing number of entries for our NATM Social Media Contest with over 1,500 photos posted. All the ATs out there also stepped up when it came to rewarding some of their own. The poll we posted last week to choose the favorite NATM poster photo received thousands of votes.

April 10, 2014 by NATA Staff

Deadline Approaching for the Research Mentor Program

There’s still time to apply for the 2014 NATA Foundation Mentor Program! This unique initiative from the NATA Foundation pairs a small group of “young investigators” with a mentor to provide assistance, advice or collaborative efforts on projects, grant reviews, research, academic manuscripts and more. The program is also a great opportunity to connect with experienced ATs conducting research in the clinical or academic setting.

April 8, 2014 by NATA Staff

My Olympic Experience

By Benjamin Towne, MA, ATC

Two months ago, I was given the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream by serving as an athletic trainer for the USOC Medical Staff for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. A common question I hear is, “How did you get involved?” Like anything in life, there are multiple paths to get to the same destination, but I can certainly share mine.