Written by: Brandon Wells and Chris Matarazzo
We are only a few days in to 2020 and while we have some things to look forward to for the upcoming year, it is never too late to look back and see what we accomplished! So, without further ado, here is our recap of 2019!
Capitol Hill Day
In March, TATS members met with Tennessee Legislators to discuss athletic training. TATS lobbyists Chuck Welch and Will Richardson organized meetings with Senate and House leaders that served as an opportunity to educate lawmakers on the vast roles of athletic trainers within the healthcare setting. These meetings serve to fortify the relationship between athletic trainers and legislators in an effort to increase advocacy for our profession. All athletic trainers are encouraged to communicate with their local Senators and Representatives throughout the year.
Stay tuned for 2020 Capital Hill Day happening in March!
NC/TN Challenge for March NATM
Tennessee athletic trainers took on North Carolina athletic trainers in the 2019 National Athletic Trainers Month Challenge with the goal of spreading awareness of the importance of athletic trainers as healthcare providers. In the first part of the challenge, Tennessee and North Carolina athletic trainers took to social media to share photos of athletic trainers in action. The competition was judged by tallying the total numbers of likes across social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook). North Carolina edged out Tennessee 414-228 to win the social media challenge.
In part two of the challenge, athletic trainers were asked to lead by example in demonstrating healthy lifestyle habits. Athletic trainers totaled walking and running mileage over the month of March. Tennessee took home the win with a total of 1204.2 miles to North Carolina’s 1033.2 miles.
We look forward to the 2020 National Athletic Trainers Month Challenge
with North Carolina. Be sure to follow TATS on Twitter (@tnata) and Instagram (@tn_ata) as well as Facebook.
MTSU and RCS Recognition of AT’s
Middle Tennessee State University faculty and staff athletic trainers along with athletic training students attended the City of Murfreesboro Council Meeting. Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland declared March to be Athletic Training Month.
Rutherford County Schools Board of Education acknowledged its’ athletic trainers during a board meeting. These athletic trainers are committed to the health and safety of the student athletes of Rutherford County Schools.
NFL Roundtable
In conjunction with the NFL Draft in Nashville, Vanderbilt Sports Medicine and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt hosted an intimate roundtable conversation with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Dr. Alan Sills, a professor of neurological surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and chief medical officer for the NFL, was the facilitator of the event. The event featured several presentations on the translation of health and safety issues from the NFL to other levels of play followed by a roundtable discussion.
Former NFL players, local coaches, recreation directors, and medical professionals were invited including former players Troy Vincent and Chad Pennington, Vanderbilt Head Football Coach Derrick Mason, and TSU Head Football Coach Rod Reed. Several area Athletic Trainers attended, including: Tom Bossung (Vanderbilt University Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine), Gary Beatty (Head Athletic Trainer, Battle Ground Academy), Adam Clemens (Vanderbilt Football Athletic Trainer), Tim Lee (Vanderbilt Sport Concussion Center Coordinator), Brad Rohling (Rutherford County Schools Athletic Training Coordinator), Trevor Searcy (Head Athletic Trainer, Tennessee State University), Kim Walter (Manager, Outreach Sports Medicine for Vanderbilt Orthopedics), Justin Wenzel (Vanderbilt Football Athletic Trainer), and Kerry Wilbar (Vanderbilt Football Athletic Trainer).
The roundtable discussion included current challenges within football, growing concerns in youth football, and possible solutions to these challenges and concerns. The Tennessee Safe Stars Initiative was discussed as a way to ensure athletic safety within youth sports by recognizing leagues and schools that have safety standards in place. Safe Stars is a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Health and The Program for Injury Prevention in Youth Sports at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Rutherford County School System and Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department were cited as examples of athletic safety. All 23 Rutherford County middle and high schools, as well as Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation, are gold star members of the Safe Star initiative.
Regional Meeting Summaries
East Tennessee’s Regional Meeting was hosted at the University of Tennessee on May 7th.
West Tennessee’s Regional Meeting was hosted at The Hughston Foundation on June 4th. Spearkers included Charlie Ralph, Terry Love (Injury Prevention Manager, TN Department of Health) and and Andy Grubbs (Director of Athletic Training, The Hughston Foundation).
Middle Tennessee’s Regional Meeting was hosted at Middle Tennessee State University on June 5th. Speakers included Mark Reeves (TSSAA Assistant Executive Director), Josh Haley (Head Athletic Trainer, Riverdale High School), Kristi Phillips (Clinical Coordinator, MTSU ATEP), Terry Love and Andy Grubbs.
*NATA Summary
In June 2019, Athletic Trainers from across the world took over Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the National Athletic Trainers Association Clinical Symposia & Expo. Over 14,000 attendees enjoyed four days of educational & networking opportunities to help advance the athletic training profession forward. The Mandalay Bay Convention Center was the host and the bright lights of Las Vegas did not disappoint.
2019 nata convention in las vegas, nevada welcome signs. www.nata.org
Over the four days, attendees had their choice of attending 140 educational presentations, 45 oral presentations, and 308 free communication poster presentations. Over 500 presenters handpicked by the Convention Program Committee, brought programming that was impactful to the clinical practice of athletic training.
Day 1 of the convention offered advance track seminars that attendees can pre-register for to learn and expand their skills and knowledge on different clinical skills. A lively welcome reception for the attendees and their families rounded out the evening and brought a high amount of energy and fun to kick off the convention.
Day 2 started off with on of the largest NATAPAC breakfast to date. The breakfast is an annual fundraiser for the NATA Political Action Committee to fund the political efforts necessary for the progression of the profession. The keynote speaker was Hall of Famer Ronnie Barnes, ATC. Ronnie spoke to the struggles he endured to get to where he is today. “I had to overcome some racial obstacles growing up in the South, and that required really strong self-control,” Barnes said. “In the face of bias … I had to learn how to develop an executive presence. If you look around at all of the leaders of NATA, what you’ll find is an executive presence. And everyone in here seems to be leaders, but I hope all of you find your executive presence.” He ended with his hopes for the future of the athletic training profession - the possibilities that are available with continued communication, collaboration, dedication to learning and acknowledgment of the power each AT holds. “I ask you to never lose sight of how incredible you are and how vital you are to so many patients and our athletes,” he said. “We’re guardian angels to so many people. My soul is enriched by every person I help, and I’m sure you feel the very same way.”
The rest of Day 2 brought the start of the AT Expo. The AT Expo is worlds largest gathering of products and services for the athletic training profession. There was over 600 booths and over 300 different companies marketing goods and services. Day 2 also brought numerous different free educational sessions ranging from athletic training care in the military, to surgical techniques, or orthobiologics. There was no shortage of options to pick from to better yourself as an athletic trainer.
Day 3 was highlighted by the State of the Association address by President Tory Lindley. Numerous advancements in the profession have been made over the past year including the At Your Own Risk initiative, Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act, National Athletic Training Month reaching a new record high of engagements, the restructuring of the Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine, and collaborations between the American Physical Therapy Association and the NATA. “In January, the member organizations for athletic training and physical therapy committed to promote health and wellness and engage in efforts to advance population health,” Lindley said. “By joining forces, through regular communication, we expect to increase the quality of patient care by promoting best practices and inter-professional health care by identifying legislative synergies, by improving access to underserved patient populations and through investigating principles on model language for improved state legislation.”
Following the State of Association address, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held where 7 new inductees were honored and the keynote speaker, Jon Dorenbos, who is a magician and formal NFL long snapper wowed the audience. NATA 2019 was a jammed packed with education, networking, innovation, and fun.
Mark your calendars for NATA 2020 - it will be June 17-20 in Atlanta, Georgia.