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.