What’s going on in Arkansas?

The weekend of the 11th, the athletic trainers in Arkansas came together for our annual meeting and symposium.  We had a record number of attendees with 223 Arkansans, 3 Texans and one from Oklahoma.  As always, we had a great time, got some business done, learned a ton, raised money for legislation, and honored our own as we inducted two great ATs into the AATA Fall of Fame.

During this year’s Honors and Awards banquet, we inducted BJ Maack and David Strickland into the AATA Hall of Fame.  BJ talked about the reasons an athletic trainer should do their job and David… well, he was his favorite character “I’m a big deal; The Anchorman”.  Their bronze plaques will now be placed in the AATA Fall of Fame which is located in Verizon Arena, Little Rock, AR, in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.  We also honored Chad Fink and Karen Taylor, Athletic Trainers of the Year, for saving a young athlete’s life;  Chad Floyd, Dr. Doug Parker Recognition Award, for his tireless work over the years with the Scholarship committee; and Dr. Darrell Nesmith, Honorary Membership.

This year we did a silent auction to support our legislative efforts.  We had several items from the U of A, Arkansas State, University of Central Arkansas as well as several other items.  The big item was a $500.00 cooking grill provided by the State Corrections Department.  It went for $110.00!!!  Still trying to figure out how she got it home.  Oh yah, we raised $1200.00 and I think Ron Carroll, ASU and candidate for state representative, collected some donations as well.  Good Luck in November, Ron!

This year the state of Arkansas was the second group in the country to provide the new EBP CEU’s.  For those who stayed for Sunday’s educational program go 2 EBP CEUs.  Great talk on new findings when dealing with concussions.  I think this presentation will be given at SWATA.  It is a must see.

Next year our state meeting will be hosted by the University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, on April 24-26, 2015.  Anyone interested in coming up for a great time and good education can visit the AATA website in the spring for registration information.

NATA National Convention is just around the corner so don’t forget to registrar.  Anyone needing a ride to Indy?  The Mulerider Express will be headed that way on Monday, June 23rd.  Just give me a call.  Hope to see everyone in Indy as well as at SWATA in Frisco.

Written by:

Ken Cole, MS, LAT, ATC

Arkansas Representative to SWATA  

Clinical and Emerging Settings...The Key to Preventing Burnout???

I attended the North Texas Athletic Trainers Society Symposium this past weekend and saw many colleagues and excited students who were there to learn about athletic training and current issues. It’s always refreshing to see new faces and the energy they bring to the profession, but there is more talk among student’s and professional about having more life balance and how does one get that, but still 

stay in the profession?

The answers may be many and there are more ATs that are looking outside of the schools wanting to get into an emerging setting. I field phone calls and emails from students and ATs who have been in the profession for a while and they ask how they can change their setting and still be an AT. Is this trend a sign of dissatisfaction or burn out? Maybe, but I believe our profession is doing a good job of educating ATs about emerging settings and continue to have exciting topics, clinics and other opportunities to introduce ATs to those settings. 

The ATs that I talk to who are entertaining the idea of moving into an emerging setting are excited about the possibilities that lay ahead. Many of the questions I hear are “How do we make the change? How did you do it?” We have the skills to diversify we just have to be confident that we can make that change and we have to be ready to learn everything we can about the setting we want to go into. 

Attend any emerging setting clinic or talk and you will hear ideas that were never talked about in your textbook.

So how do you get more information about an emerging setting? Talk to an AT in one of those settings, any setting, they will know others who will talk to you. Call or email any of the ATCs on the CEPAT committee for SWATA or NATA; we are always glad to help someone looking to make a change. Attend a talk or conference that is related to an emerging setting. The networking opportunities that you will be exposed to are phenomenal. Check out the NATA CEPAT webpage; there are many resources on there like: the COES database for student clinical internships in an emerging setting; day in the life of an AT in different emerging settings; articles to help you in your quest to get a foothold in an emerging setting and much more. Educators,  in July, during your educator meeting, the SWATA CEPAT committee will be giving a brief presentation of resources that you can use with your students.

Whether you are burned out, ready for a change or just want to see what options you have while staying in the field of athletic training, consider an emerging setting. You will be energized with new practices and learn a new skill sets that will defiantly be a rewarding challenge. 

For more information visit the NATA emerging setting webpage or email me.

Written by:

Rob Sandmann

SWATA Clinical & Emerging Practices Committee Chair

Asst. Administrator-Clinical

Texas Orthopedic Specialist - PA

2014 SWATA Honors & Awards Recipients Announced

Each year the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association takes great care in recognizing those who have contributed to the profession of athletic training and to District VI. The 2014 award recipients are listed below. Please take a moment to give them a call or email them a quick note to congratulate them! The award recipients will be honored at the SWATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposia in Frisco, Texas in July 2014. Make plans to join us this summer and honor these individuals. 

The SWATA Hall of Fame which is the highest honor a member of District VI may receive was developed for the purpose of honoring members of District VI whose dedicated service, past achievements, and professional contributions have furthered the advancement of the SWATA and the athletic training profession.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2014 inductees are Aubry Fisk of North Texas Orthopedics in Watauga, Texas and Karl Kapchinski of Methodist Hospital and resides in College Station, Texas. 

The SWATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer (MDAT) Award was developed for the purpose of recognizing a member of District VI whose dedicated service, past achievements, and professional contributions have furthered the advancement of the SWATA and the athletic training profession. 

The 2014 MDAT Award winner is Christopher Hall of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dr. Cynthia Trowbridge and Dr. Benito Velasquez won the NATA MDAT Award and will automatically be given the SWATA MDAT Award.

The SWATA Unsung Hero Watch Award was changed to the SWATA Bobby Gunn Unsung Hero Watch Award at the 2001 Mid-Winter Executive Board Meeting in Houston. The award winner will receive a watch at the Awards Ceremony during the SWATA Annual Meeting. 

The 2014 Bobby Gun Unsung Hero Watch Award winner is Jeffrey Bass of Chisholm Trail High School in Fort Worth, Texas.

The SWATA James Dodson New Horizon Award was developed for the purpose of recognizing relatively new qualified members of District VI for their unique or immediate contributions to the SWATA or the athletic training profession. 

The 2014 James Dodson winner is Laura Kunkel of Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas.

The John Harvey Humanitarian Award was established in the direct response and in the spirit of the above statement to recognize and athletic trainer who, throughout their career, has had a significant positive impact on ethnic minority athletic trainers or on physically active ethnic minority individuals.

The 2014 John Harvey Award winner is Paul M. Snodgrass of Sam Houston High School in San Antonio, Texas.

The SWATA Frank Medina Award was created and is given annually to an athletic trainer in District VI who has made significant contributions throughout their career to the athletic training profession. 

The 2014 Frank Medina Award winner is Dr. Steve Simpson at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

The SWATA "Honorary Membership" was created so the Association could recognize and thank the many people outside the athletic training profession who have contributed to the SWATA and the advancement of the athletic training profession.

The 2014 Honorary Member is Dr. Mark Wylie of The Bone & Joint Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. 

The SWATA Excellence in Athletic Training Award recognizes heroic efforts made by athletic trainers who are directly involved with a lifesaving event or significant impact on an individual. 

The 2014 SWATA Excellence in Athletic Training Award recipients are Tom Bradley and Jessica Hilgendorf of Clear Falls High School in League City, Texas as well as Chris Shaddock and Lindsey Thomas of Dawson High School in Pearland, Texas. 

The Eddie Wojecki Award was voted on by SWATA members and will be announced once the election is certified.  Join me in congratulating the 2014 SWATA award winners.

2014 SWATA Honors & Awards

To view photos from last year's SWATA honors & awards recognition, visit the SWATA Flickr account. 

To view a list of past recipients of each award, please login to the member's only website and go to the Honors and Awards page.