Dear fellow SWATA Members,
Please visit SWATA.org to find a proposed revision to the SWATA Constitution, as well as the current Constitution for comparison.
More than three years ago, SWATA began reviewing the Membership regarding the governance structure of the Association. Using information gathered through a series of Member surveys, Task Forces, and work groups, totaling the input of over 200 Member responses, Constitutional Review Committee convened and drafted the Member's requested changes into the proposed document.
The SWATA Membership will be voting on this proposed Constitution at our Annual Business Meeting, Saturday, July 25 in Arlington, Texas. I ask that you review the proposed document in comparison to the existing document to prepare for this important vote.
Over the entire history of SWATA, the Constitution has been rewritten approximately every 10 to 15 years; it has been over 25 years since the last major rewrite. The Committee and the Board believe that this proposed revision is necessary to ensure SWATA's continued growth and success. The proposed changes will allow for an Association that is more flexible and responsive to Member needs.
Lorna Strong is the SWATA Parliamentarian and Chair of the Constitutional Review Committee, and Vice President Mike Carroll is the current Board liaison to that Committee as well as the former Chair of one of the task forces involved in the collection of information. They have undertaken a Herculean task, and I thank them both personally and as President. Please contact one of them if you have any questions about the proposed wording or rationale for this revision.
Thank you for your involvement in our Association. I wish you all a safe and happy spring, and I look forward to seeing you all in San Antonio in June and in Arlington in July.
Sincerely,
Dan O'Connor, ATC, LAT
President, SWATA
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Flip Flops, Sunblock and Powerflex??
What are your plans this summer? As the school year winds down for many of us, the countdown has begun to summer vacation. I would bet that a good number of you know how many school days are left until summer break – if you don’t, just ask a senior. For many of us, a summer of beaches, fishing and relaxing is ahead and we can’t wait to enjoy the time with our families. A big part of many athletic trainers summer plans usually involves continuing education conferences and family vacations usually depend on these trips.
We are lucky this year in the fact that the NATA Convention is coming back to District 6 – athletic trainers in Arkansas and Texas get the rare chance to share the hospitality of SWATA to the entire nation as people converge on San Antonio. As plans to travel to San Antonio start to take shape, family trips to SeaWorld, Fiesta Texas, the Riverwalk, the Alamo and baseball games are going to entice many families to make the NATA conference their family vacation.
So now the big question : if I am taking my family to San Antonio for the NATA Convention, why do I need to go to Arlington for SWATA in July? As SWATA registration is currently on-line, I am going to give you a few reasons why the time honored trip to Arlington in July is worthwhile to every athletic trainer in District 6.
* More Bang for your Buck – SWATA registration fees have not changed for many years now. As a member, you pay $80 for registration to the symposium and have the opportunity to earn over 20 CEU’s. I don’t know of many continuing education conferences where you get so many CEU’s for that type of price.
* Diamond Dreams – While the Rangers are out of town, things are taking shape for a free evening of, shall I say, an interesting competition on a beautiful baseball field. You will probably not want to miss the welcome reception on Thursday evening – if there is a video camera running, you might be able to send in the tape to Americas Funniest Home Videos. More details to come.
* Early Registration Packet Pickup – A new addition to SWATA is the Wednesday evening packet pickup. If you have pre-registered and are in town, the exhibit hall will open on Wednesday night for an informal social to allow prime access to many of our great vendors. From 5 – 7, you can mingle, have a few cocktails and visit with the vendors who have continued to support our organization.
* Awards Banquet – If you have never attended the SWATA Honors and Awards Banquet, I encourage you to give it a try this year. A wonderful evening to recognize some of our peers always leaves us with priceless memories and wonderful speeches. It is a wonderful event and I encourage you not to miss it.
* Trailblazers Forum – This will be the third year of the Hall of Fame Roundtable and I think this is a session that all members should make an effort to see. Great stories, wonderful memories and a lot of laughter will accompany this session, I promise you.
* Arlington, Arlington, Arlington……..Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor, The Temple (the Ballpark in Arlington), the new Cowboys Stadium, the Stockyards, the West End………what else is there to be said?
* Socializing – Catch up with all of your friends and have a good time with your family as the summer winds down and 2-a-days are staring many of us in the face.
* The Name Game – You get the extreme pleasure of seeing what our host hotel is named this year…..Wyndham? Marriott? Sheraton? What is it this year? You have to come and find out!
I could go on and on with good reasons to come to SWATA. So, go to http://www.swata.org/ and register for the 55th Annual SWATA Symposium and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I hope to see you in San Antonio in June as well as Arlington in July. Have a terrific spring and, as always, never hesitate to let us know what your Executive Board can do for you.
We are lucky this year in the fact that the NATA Convention is coming back to District 6 – athletic trainers in Arkansas and Texas get the rare chance to share the hospitality of SWATA to the entire nation as people converge on San Antonio. As plans to travel to San Antonio start to take shape, family trips to SeaWorld, Fiesta Texas, the Riverwalk, the Alamo and baseball games are going to entice many families to make the NATA conference their family vacation.
So now the big question : if I am taking my family to San Antonio for the NATA Convention, why do I need to go to Arlington for SWATA in July? As SWATA registration is currently on-line, I am going to give you a few reasons why the time honored trip to Arlington in July is worthwhile to every athletic trainer in District 6.
* More Bang for your Buck – SWATA registration fees have not changed for many years now. As a member, you pay $80 for registration to the symposium and have the opportunity to earn over 20 CEU’s. I don’t know of many continuing education conferences where you get so many CEU’s for that type of price.
* Diamond Dreams – While the Rangers are out of town, things are taking shape for a free evening of, shall I say, an interesting competition on a beautiful baseball field. You will probably not want to miss the welcome reception on Thursday evening – if there is a video camera running, you might be able to send in the tape to Americas Funniest Home Videos. More details to come.
* Early Registration Packet Pickup – A new addition to SWATA is the Wednesday evening packet pickup. If you have pre-registered and are in town, the exhibit hall will open on Wednesday night for an informal social to allow prime access to many of our great vendors. From 5 – 7, you can mingle, have a few cocktails and visit with the vendors who have continued to support our organization.
* Awards Banquet – If you have never attended the SWATA Honors and Awards Banquet, I encourage you to give it a try this year. A wonderful evening to recognize some of our peers always leaves us with priceless memories and wonderful speeches. It is a wonderful event and I encourage you not to miss it.
* Trailblazers Forum – This will be the third year of the Hall of Fame Roundtable and I think this is a session that all members should make an effort to see. Great stories, wonderful memories and a lot of laughter will accompany this session, I promise you.
* Arlington, Arlington, Arlington……..Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor, The Temple (the Ballpark in Arlington), the new Cowboys Stadium, the Stockyards, the West End………what else is there to be said?
* Socializing – Catch up with all of your friends and have a good time with your family as the summer winds down and 2-a-days are staring many of us in the face.
* The Name Game – You get the extreme pleasure of seeing what our host hotel is named this year…..Wyndham? Marriott? Sheraton? What is it this year? You have to come and find out!
I could go on and on with good reasons to come to SWATA. So, go to http://www.swata.org/ and register for the 55th Annual SWATA Symposium and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I hope to see you in San Antonio in June as well as Arlington in July. Have a terrific spring and, as always, never hesitate to let us know what your Executive Board can do for you.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
March Madness - Athletic Training Style
It seems that you can't watch TV or read the paper/internet these days without seeing or hearing about "March Madness". While most of the general population thinks that is referring to the NCAA basketball tournament we athletic trainers just know it as the madness that sets in from seemingly unending things that we have to deal with in our jobs. Regardless of your employment setting whether it be secondary school, collegiate, academic, clinical, or something else it seems like March is month that is "maddening" so to speak because the what seems like never ending events and issues to deal with. I'm here to tell you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no it's not an oncoming train. Hang in there and March will end soon enough.
I wanted to take this opportunity to ask all athletic trainers in SWATA to keep a few things on the front burner.
I wanted to take this opportunity to ask all athletic trainers in SWATA to keep a few things on the front burner.
- There is still time to do something for National Athletic Training Month. For ideas go to the SWATA front page(http://www.swata.org/). In Stephenville we had the mayor and also our school board do a proclamation. After you do something in your local area be sure and let SWATA PR Chair Chris Shaddock know about it.
- There is an election coming up. This year we will elect second vice president. We have three very qualified candidates running. To fully participate in your association it is important that you vote. The SWATA Board in the past year has moved forward with technology and you can now vote electronically. It takes only a few minutes to cast your vote. I implore you to take the time and let your voice be heard when you receive your ballot.
- The annual NATA convention is being held in our backyard this year. June 17 - 20 are the dates and the location is San Antonio. We really need to make our presence known. If you can go please make every attempt to do so. Also if you go and would like to a.) help out and b.) save a little money on registration contact Melinda Terry melindat@admin.stedwards.edu or Jerry Greeson Jerry.Greeson@utsa.edu and they'll get you set up to help.
- The annual SWATA convention will be back in Arlington this summer. Please save the dates of July 23 - 26 so that you may attend. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there.
As always it is an honor to serve the good athletic trainers of SWATA and if there is ever anything that I or any other Executive Board member can do for you please do not hesitate to ask.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
ATEAM
Please take a moment to sign on to NATA.org Member's section and review the information about the Athletic Trainers' Equal Access to Medicare act (HR 1137). This bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The NATA Web site has more information and instructions for how to participate in this national legislative effort to improve our profession. I promise that your participation will be quick, easy, and painless! But your participation can make a difference in advancing recognition and respect for Athletic Training across the United States as well as in Arkansas and Texas.
"How can I get involved in SWATA/NATA?" is a question I'm often asked. Here's your chance.
Thanks!
The NATA Web site has more information and instructions for how to participate in this national legislative effort to improve our profession. I promise that your participation will be quick, easy, and painless! But your participation can make a difference in advancing recognition and respect for Athletic Training across the United States as well as in Arkansas and Texas.
"How can I get involved in SWATA/NATA?" is a question I'm often asked. Here's your chance.
Thanks!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Greetings from Indiana
Well, when I found out I was travelling to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, I thought of one thing. Road trip - if there are two places in Indiana I have always wanted to visit, it would have to be South Bend to see the Golden Dome or to French Lick (if you don't know why French Lick, ask your dad). Well, South Bend is 122 miles away and French Lick is 231 miles away, so the road trip was off the table. So, now what is one to do in FWayne when it is 23 degrees outside??? Let me tell you......
I had the privilege to fly up today for the GLATA (District 4) meetings. I made this trip with Anna McCain, who is a graduate student for the Razorbacks and the SWATA ATSA Chair. The sole purpose of this trip was to observe the District 4 Student Senate (their equivalent to our ATSA) and see if there were any pointers, tips or ideas that we could borrow and apply to our student organization. We were able to sit down today for five hours and observe their board meeting, take some notes and see how they handle their organization. But, to be honest, my favorite part of the trip was sitting with the 14 young people that make up the board at a reception tonight - we were able to ask them questions, share ideas and basically get to know each other a little better. I have posted it before on this blog and I will post it again - getting to spend some time with Anna as well as the folks from District 4 really energizes me. The passion that I see from them and the professionalism and love for this profession convinces me that the future of this profession is heading in the right direction.
So what did we accomplish after the 3:30 am wake up call, many weather and lightning delays and the cold, bitter wind of Indiana??? I think that between Anna and myself, we have a different perspective and some ideas on how to better engage and empower the youth of our organization. A little plagiarism never hurt anyone and I have to thank the folks from GLATA for allowing us to "spy" a little bit. I look forward to another few hours of meetings tomorrow before we return to the warm environment of home.....what, its cold again in Texas?????
P.S. Once again, I am yet to figure out how our NATA President has enough energy to do what she does and keep track of what city she is currently in? If you have never had the chance to talk with and get to know Marje, make a point to do so in the near future. You will not be disappointed.
I had the privilege to fly up today for the GLATA (District 4) meetings. I made this trip with Anna McCain, who is a graduate student for the Razorbacks and the SWATA ATSA Chair. The sole purpose of this trip was to observe the District 4 Student Senate (their equivalent to our ATSA) and see if there were any pointers, tips or ideas that we could borrow and apply to our student organization. We were able to sit down today for five hours and observe their board meeting, take some notes and see how they handle their organization. But, to be honest, my favorite part of the trip was sitting with the 14 young people that make up the board at a reception tonight - we were able to ask them questions, share ideas and basically get to know each other a little better. I have posted it before on this blog and I will post it again - getting to spend some time with Anna as well as the folks from District 4 really energizes me. The passion that I see from them and the professionalism and love for this profession convinces me that the future of this profession is heading in the right direction.
So what did we accomplish after the 3:30 am wake up call, many weather and lightning delays and the cold, bitter wind of Indiana??? I think that between Anna and myself, we have a different perspective and some ideas on how to better engage and empower the youth of our organization. A little plagiarism never hurt anyone and I have to thank the folks from GLATA for allowing us to "spy" a little bit. I look forward to another few hours of meetings tomorrow before we return to the warm environment of home.....what, its cold again in Texas?????
P.S. Once again, I am yet to figure out how our NATA President has enough energy to do what she does and keep track of what city she is currently in? If you have never had the chance to talk with and get to know Marje, make a point to do so in the near future. You will not be disappointed.
Monday, March 9, 2009
10 Things I Think I Think
Any NFL fan has probably seen the monday morning column on the Sports Illustrated website by the great Peter King. In his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback article, he concludes with a section that has this title. So, in an effort to quick hit several points, I present you with the 10 Things I Think I Think:
1) Regional meetings are the life force of District 6 – I had the pleasure of attending the Central Texas Athletic Trainers’ Society symposium this past Saturday at Georgetown High School. I want to thank Joe Gonzalez and the rest of the CTATS board for having me and running a terrific symposium. While the professional meetings were terrific, one of the most exciting things about the meeting was the large number of students who were lined up to attend the meeting. Between CTATS, GHATS, NTATS and all of the other regional organizations, the things that they do for athletic training as well as inspiring students to attend and become excited about our profession makes me proud to be an athletic trainer.
2) HD television is one of the greatest things ever invented!!!! Here in Keller, we are currently working to create a concussion policy to assure that we are taking care of our athletes with head injuries in the proper way – we have begun to utilize the ImPACT program in dealing with head injuries, which used properly can be a tremendous tool in the evaluation and management of these injuries. One of the channels I now have because of HD television is called HD Net which has a terrific show called Dan Rather Reports. This week DRR is focused on concussions in sports – the first half hour is devoted to head injuries in adolescent athletes and their effects and the second half hour is dedicated to former NFL stars that have horrible ailments stemming from head injuries suffered when they played. If you have HD Net, I encourage all athletic trainers to watch this show. If you do not, you can buy it for $1.99 on iTunes. All athletic trainers should watch this show and all coaches should have to watch the first 30 minutes.
3) Registration is on-line for the 60th Annual NATA Meeting and Clinical Symposia. I encourage each one of you to attend and volunteer to help show the hospitality of District 6 to our colleagues from all over the world.
4) Not going to spill the beans, but you are not going to want to miss the Keynote Speaker at this summers SWATA Meeting in Arlington. More info to come…….
5) Soapbox moment – voting is one of the most important things you can do as a SWATA member to help get your voice heard. We have three extremely qualified candidates running for the SWATA Executive Board in this year’s election, which is scheduled to open on April 2nd. Please do some research as you prepare for the election, make informed choices and encourage your colleagues to take the time to vote – it doesn’t take any longer than 2 minutes, I promise you.
6) Kudos goes to the ATSA Advisory Committee and the 53 students who attended the Competency Workshop in Dallas last month. It was a wonderful weekend and the turnout was great.
7) For all the secondary school AT’s out there (not that you’re counting), but less than 60 school days left
8) 28 days until Opening Day – many of you know what I am talking about (sorry, had to throw that one in there)
9) Good at trivia? If you want to try your hand at some athletic training trivia, take a trip over to the Young Professionals blog.
10) Now, to end this blog, I am going to venture off and try to explain the picture above. On March 12, 2008, my brother-in-law was deployed to serve 15 months in Irag with the United States Army. My daughter and I went to Home Depot and bought a flag set to put on the outside of our house with one goal : to fly the flag every day until “Uncle Andrew” came home. Other than a few bad weather days, this flag has flown outside our house so that we can think about him and the other soldiers serving our country. It has taken a lot of windy days and a bit of a beating, but it has flown proudly outside our house for 363 days now. Well, Uncle Andrew is set to come home this week and we are extremely proud of him and what our soldiers do for us each and every day. If you are related to or know some soldiers serving our country, know that our family prays for them every day. What will we do with the flag? Probably take it down and retire it. But I can guarantee you that we will replace it and continue to fly a flag in support of the great men and women of the military. We’re proud of you Andrew and welcome home!!!!
1) Regional meetings are the life force of District 6 – I had the pleasure of attending the Central Texas Athletic Trainers’ Society symposium this past Saturday at Georgetown High School. I want to thank Joe Gonzalez and the rest of the CTATS board for having me and running a terrific symposium. While the professional meetings were terrific, one of the most exciting things about the meeting was the large number of students who were lined up to attend the meeting. Between CTATS, GHATS, NTATS and all of the other regional organizations, the things that they do for athletic training as well as inspiring students to attend and become excited about our profession makes me proud to be an athletic trainer.
2) HD television is one of the greatest things ever invented!!!! Here in Keller, we are currently working to create a concussion policy to assure that we are taking care of our athletes with head injuries in the proper way – we have begun to utilize the ImPACT program in dealing with head injuries, which used properly can be a tremendous tool in the evaluation and management of these injuries. One of the channels I now have because of HD television is called HD Net which has a terrific show called Dan Rather Reports. This week DRR is focused on concussions in sports – the first half hour is devoted to head injuries in adolescent athletes and their effects and the second half hour is dedicated to former NFL stars that have horrible ailments stemming from head injuries suffered when they played. If you have HD Net, I encourage all athletic trainers to watch this show. If you do not, you can buy it for $1.99 on iTunes. All athletic trainers should watch this show and all coaches should have to watch the first 30 minutes.
3) Registration is on-line for the 60th Annual NATA Meeting and Clinical Symposia. I encourage each one of you to attend and volunteer to help show the hospitality of District 6 to our colleagues from all over the world.
4) Not going to spill the beans, but you are not going to want to miss the Keynote Speaker at this summers SWATA Meeting in Arlington. More info to come…….
5) Soapbox moment – voting is one of the most important things you can do as a SWATA member to help get your voice heard. We have three extremely qualified candidates running for the SWATA Executive Board in this year’s election, which is scheduled to open on April 2nd. Please do some research as you prepare for the election, make informed choices and encourage your colleagues to take the time to vote – it doesn’t take any longer than 2 minutes, I promise you.
6) Kudos goes to the ATSA Advisory Committee and the 53 students who attended the Competency Workshop in Dallas last month. It was a wonderful weekend and the turnout was great.
7) For all the secondary school AT’s out there (not that you’re counting), but less than 60 school days left
8) 28 days until Opening Day – many of you know what I am talking about (sorry, had to throw that one in there)
9) Good at trivia? If you want to try your hand at some athletic training trivia, take a trip over to the Young Professionals blog.
10) Now, to end this blog, I am going to venture off and try to explain the picture above. On March 12, 2008, my brother-in-law was deployed to serve 15 months in Irag with the United States Army. My daughter and I went to Home Depot and bought a flag set to put on the outside of our house with one goal : to fly the flag every day until “Uncle Andrew” came home. Other than a few bad weather days, this flag has flown outside our house so that we can think about him and the other soldiers serving our country. It has taken a lot of windy days and a bit of a beating, but it has flown proudly outside our house for 363 days now. Well, Uncle Andrew is set to come home this week and we are extremely proud of him and what our soldiers do for us each and every day. If you are related to or know some soldiers serving our country, know that our family prays for them every day. What will we do with the flag? Probably take it down and retire it. But I can guarantee you that we will replace it and continue to fly a flag in support of the great men and women of the military. We’re proud of you Andrew and welcome home!!!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
National Athletic Training Month
March is National Athletic Training Month: what are you doing to showcase our profession? On March 16th, I will be attending a proclamation by the mayor of Pearland, where I live, at Dawson H.S., which was arranged by Chris Shaddock, the SWATA PR Chair--who, not coincidentally, is the Head Athletic Trainer for Dawson.
Please visit NATA.org for more information, a toolkit, sample media releases and proclamations, images (like the one to the left), and a lot of other stuff to help you celebrate and promote athletic training in your local community.
I'd love to hear about activities in Texas and Arkansas, so feel free to "comment" on this post (hit that comments link next to my name below) and share your experiences with your fellow SWATA Members.
Have a great and safe National Athletic Training Month!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
