NATA Gatorade Service Award

NATA Secondary School Gatorade Service Award

This award was created to recognize the efforts of secondary school athletic trainers that are improving their school community as a whole as well as doing their job as an athletic trainer. Everyone knows of that high school or middle school athletic trainer that is always going above and beyond the call of duty for the betterment of their school. It may be covering classes in their department, driving a bus when route drivers are not able to drive, teaching AED/CPR to staff members of their school, organizing and implementing fitness testing, covering power puff games, FCA dodge ball and basketball event coverage, coordinating wellness programs, the list could go on and on...

The point is to recognize someone that you know in your district/area/region that is always going above and beyond expectations. We all have that person that we look at think...how in the world do they have the time to do all of that AND do their regular job as an athletic trainer.

Go to http://www.nata.org/ns/NATASSATCGatoradeServiceAward/index.htm to get more information on how to nominate that hard working athletic trainer that you know deserves some recognition for going above and beyond.

Crazy Time

I think that I have had these thoughts once or twice since the middle of October...

November is the start of "Crazy Time" in the world of high school athletic trainers (as well as other athletic trainers). There is so much going on and there is no way to keep up with all of it at the same time. Football, Volleyball, and Cross Country are at their peak of their seasons; Tennis is in full swing, Basketball is getting started and Wrestling, Swimming & Diving, & Gymnastics are getting ready to start their seasons! Most athletic trainers are just trying to survive from day to day at this point... I know that I am just keeping my head above water at times!

I always find that if I am drowning in my work, then I need to take a step back, prioritize what needs to be done, and knock them out one at a time. I will do this by making a list, ranking them in order of what needs to be finished first and then I cross them off when they are complete. It is a simplistic approach, but sometimes simple is all it takes.

Finding time to get away from everything is a good way to help you get things accomplished. Sometimes you just need to get a fresh perspective on a situation to know what to do and the only way to get that perspective is to leave it for a while and come back to it. We all have been there before...we have worked on something for so long that we cannot see the solution that is right in front of us. Leave it and come back to it later.

Do not allow your email and other electronic communications bog you down from accomplishing your work. Leave the emails until after you have accomplished the task in your training room or on your desk, the "problem" in your computer will still be there when you finish dealing with what is in the room with you.

Remember that we work in one of the greatest professions in the world. We are in the people business, so go talk with the people you work with. Get out of the training room... go to practices, games, travel with a team to an event and just relax. I did not become an athletic trainer to be inside at a desk all day! November is a great time of year to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air...even if it is watching football practice!

Take time out for yourself and for what is important to you. When you leave work, leave it at work. Be in the situation that you are in; don't be thinking of what you have to do tomorrow or dwelling on what happened earlier that day. Find your "Happy Place" and go there, even for just a little while.