Got any bright ideas?

Committee terms in the NATA and SWATA are one year, twice renewable. I have been fortunate and proud to serve our associations over the past three years as a young professional, but the time to pass the torch is fast approaching.

The application period for the District 6 NATA YPC Representative/SWATA YPC Chair is open and I encourage all enthusiastic, motivated, driven young professionals (under the age of 32 by July 1) to apply. It has been a great experience and I highly recommend it!

For more information on requirements and what you need to do to apply visit the NATA Young Professionals Page.

If you feel like you want to get involved, but this isn't the opportunity for you, then I encourage you to get on the SWATA Volunteer List.  Several committees will have openings this year, as well as a number of other projects requiring help, so take this opportunity to get involved!

JUSTIFIED

In much of our lives we have to make justifications.

In our finances, our diets, our relationships and our work.

Athletic trainers, specifically, are often charged to justify our purpose, our budgets, an increase in compensation, and sometimes even our decisions.

Recently mass media has turned their attention to concussions in sports, and tragically sudden death.  As more notice is given to athletics and injuries, the justifications for athletic trainers are starting to be made by other individuals, groups and professions.

For example...

• Football Deaths Raise Questions About Lack of Athletic Trainers
• Most high schools lack full-time athletic trainers
• If schools can't afford athletic trainers, they can't afford football
• Sports Medicine: Give schools the gift of quality medical care
• American Academy of Neurology Position Statement on Conussions

It is nice to be recognized and respected by "outsiders" as the go-to healthcare professional for prevention and care of concussions, sudden cardiac issues and other acute and minor athletic injuries.

Despite this, less than half of the high schools in SWATA even have ACCESS to athletic training coverage.  Rather than resting on our laurels that this information is out there, it is time to mobilize and publicize!


I continue to say that athletic trainers are expertly educated, highly skilled and the best first-line of defense for every athlete.  We are our own best advocates, and self-promotion is the best tool for professional advancement.


Use this information and your influence to better the future of the profession and increase access to quality athletic training care.


Athletic trainers are justified, and it is up to us to prove that.

Happy New Year!

 

2011.
The start of every year is marked with newness and resolutions.  Promises to yourself and others to be better, do better, take charge, change.

On New Year's Day, I stumbled upon this motivational piece from Ralph Marston:

January 1, 1999 

This is your year. It starts today. You've been put in charge of it. You've been given complete control. It is fresh and new, waiting to be broken in. How it turns out is now up to you.

There are no limitations on how you can use this year. And don't worry, you'll find plenty of opportunities distributed throughout its days and moments.

The clock is running now. Your year has already begun. Though it seems today that you have plenty of time, the weeks will pass quickly, so take care not to squander them. Yes, there's plenty of time, but not enough to waste.

What will you do with this great new year? How will you make it the best one yet? You need to think about those things, and soon. Even now, your year is beginning to take shape.

This is your year. It's not a test or a trial run. It's the real thing, and it is here. It is a magnificent opportunity, and one which will not wait. This is your year. See it. Imagine it. Live it. Enjoy it. Make it great.

That year, I was 17 and entering the last semester of my junior year.  I had been a "student trainer" for all of my high school career and was deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I had a boyfriend who was about to graduate, and overall my future was uncertain.  Upon reflecting, I'm positive I didn't use that year as I should have.  I wished it away so I could "just turn 18," "just graduate" and do a number of other things that I couldn't wait to do.

As I began to get nostalgic and wish I had been smarter at 17, I read this year's motivational entry...

 January 1, 2011  

This is it. Your New Year is here. Though you cannot go back, you can do even better than ever as you move forward. No matter how many other years you've already seen, you can make this the best one yet. 

Of course there are plenty of challenges, and more are likely to be on the way real soon. But you've already come through a whole lot of them, and now you can put all that experience to positive and meaningful use. 

Glance back for a moment and you'll clearly see that life is always what you choose to make it, no matter what else might be going on. Now look forward with a renewed determination, and make the choice to live with more meaning and richness than ever before.

In your heart, you know why. With your considerable experience of living, you know how.

As this New Year begins, look forward to the opportunity you now have of experiencing life at a new and more fulfilling level. On this very first day of the year, look forward to being the best you've ever been at being you.

My life has been the sum of my decisions.  I cannot change the past, but I can greatly influence the future.
The same is true for athletic training.  People are too focused on what is or what has been.  Calling for name changes and lamenting about "good old boys."

Athletic training is a profession of the future.  Young professionals are the future of athletic training and I'm confident that 2011 will be the year of the young professional.  We need to look forward and not waste any time.

What do you want to change about the future of athletic training?