NATA Now

This year, 36 members are celebrating 50 years of NATA membership. Congratulations to them and all of our members celebrating milestones with the association this year. Our 50-year members of 2019 are:

Martin Baker 
T Burton
Richard Carey
Bruce Cook
David Craig
Peter Farrell
Robert Goodwin
Al Green
Mark Hanak
Edward Jamiel
William Joy
Roger Kalisiak
Seth Kensing
James Laughnane
Ken Locker
John Lopez
Richard Martin
Robert McLaughlin

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Board of Directors approved a technical change to its bylaws, specifically section 8.2 (a), during its conference call on Monday, November 25, 2019.

It’s an athletic trainer love story: Boy meets girl during college, they fall in love and get engaged. That’s exactly what happened with Samantha Cliffe, ATC, and Kyler Hendricks, ATC.

“Kyler and I met in college at Northern Kentucky University,” Cliffe said. “We have been dating about three and a half years. We've been through everything together, from beginning taping and first aid classes to taking the [Board of Certification exam] on the same day, graduating college at the same time and landing jobs a couple of weeks apart.”

Photo caption: Former NATA Student Leadership Committee Chair Savannah Knighton, ATC, poses for a photo with SLC mentor and NATA Hall of Fame member Michael Goldenberg, MS, ATC, CES, and current SLC Chair Midge Peterson during the Student Reception, held during the 70th NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo this June.

By Savannah Knighton, ATC
Former NATA Student Leadership Committee Chair

December’s issue of Athletic Training Education Journal (ATEJ) is about globalization – a nod to the expansion of the athletic training profession that has taken place at the international level.

ATEJ Editor-in-Chief David Berry, PhD, AT, ATC, said this is the first globalization-themed issue of ATEJ.

On Thursday, NATA hosted sports management professionals from the Grassroots Sports Management initiative, a Project for Russia. Board member and District Six Director Chris Hall, MA, ATC, LAT, and Hall of Fame and former District Six Director Kathy Dieringer, EdD, ATC, LAT, represented NATA; along with Kathryn LaLonde, MS, ATC, representing the NATA Research & Education Foundation.

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.