NATA Now

Update: Services for Rachael will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at First Baptist Church, 316 E. 4th St., Burkburnett, TX 76354.

We are very sad to inform you that NATA Associate Executive Director Rachael Oats, CAE, our beloved friend and colleague, passed away over the weekend. Rachael had been fighting a tough battle with cancer. Although she had small victories throughout her battle, her condition worsened, and she passed away peacefully in hospice.

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports for women, ranking No. 2 in team sports for both high schools and the NCAA. It is also growing in popularity with male athletes at the high school and collegiate levels. The November NATA News features an infographic handout on volleyball safety. The handout includes information about common volleyball injuries as well as five tips for health and safety.

Photo caption: The images above depict the steps that are taken to remove the RipKord Quick Release for Football Shoulder Pads from a spine injured athlete. Learn more about the RipKord in this Riddell video.  

Jeff Allen, MEd, ATC, associate athletic director for sports medicine at the University of Alabama, was one of three athletic training innovators featured in the November NATA News article, “The Innovators Among Us.” Inventing the SidelinER in 2015, Allen knows firsthand what it’s like to bring an idea from conception to production.

René Revis Shingles, PhD, AT, ATC, provided the November NATA News Own Your Impact column. In it, she discusses her passion for cultural competency and how she has used this passion to improve the athletic training profession through research, volunteer work and coauthoring a textbook.

The NATA Board of Directors is pleased to announce their unanimous decision to award Associate Executive Director Rachael Oats, CAE, as an honorary member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Honorary membership in NATA is awarded to individuals who have shown profound interest in and have made significant contributions to the profession of athletic training. These persons display a dedication to advancing, promoting and championing the efforts of the association and its members.

By Shelly Jones, ATC, Aloha High School Beaverton, Oregon

“Hey Shelly, do you have any thoughts for your new athletic training room?”

Boy, did I ever! After 20-plus years, I had a wish list a mile long. When your athletic director and principal come to you with that super exciting question, how do you decide what’s most important? How do you convince the decision-makers it’s a worthwhile need?

To help reduce the risk of injury related to sport specialization and to keep athletes safe, healthy and in the game, NATA has named the third full week of October National Youth Sport Specialization Awareness Week.

Throughout the week of Oct. 21-25, NATA will share information with the public about youth sport specialization and the latest research found in the October Journal of Athletic Training, which is dedicated to the topic.

Youth sport specialization is a hot topic for the athletic training profession. Not only is the October Journal of Athletic Training a special thematic issue dedicated to the topic, NATA has released an official statement with health-focused recommendations to reduce the risk of injury due to youth sport specialization.

NATA will lend its voice to the 2019 Health Professions Week (HPW), Nov. 16-21. As the biggest career event for health professions, HPW brings together various health profession organizations to promote health care careers to high school students, college students, career changers, parents, advisors and counselors. HPW is a six-day, one-stop shop of events to explore more than 20 career options.