SWATA announces new award - Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer

The SWATA Executive Board is pleased to announce that a new award has been created to help honor our hard working members for a lifetime of service to the profession and the association. This award is the SWATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer.


The SWATA "Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer" 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. Any SWATA member may nominate any other SWATA member provided that the person being nominated meets all of the criteria set fourth by the SWATA Honors & Awards Committee for this award.

To be eligible for this award the candidate must meet the following criteria for consideration of selection:
· A minimum of fifteen (15) years of professional service to the profession
· Certified or Associate member in good standing
· Be or have been a member of District VI, working, retired, or deceased
· Elected, appointed, or volunteer service or significant contributions to the SWATA
· SWATA Hall of Fame Members are not eligible for this award

This award was conceived with the idea that there are many athletic trainers that have provided a career of service to SWATA that should be recognized for that service. If you know someone who you think is worthy of receiving this award please consider nominating them. The first recipients of the SWATA Most Distinguished Award will be recognized at the Honors & Awards luncheon at the SWATA Annual Meeting next July in Arlington.

The Most Distinguished Award nomination packet is on the SWATA website in the Honors & Awards section at the following link

http://www.swata.org/pdfs/Honor_Awards/Distinguished_Athletic_Trainer.pdf

Athletic Trainer Otho Davis on Pro Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Fellow SWATA members we have the opportunity to help do something historic. Otho Davis was the longtime athletic trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was born, grew up, and was educated in Texas as he attended high school in Beaumont and college at Lamar University. The public is being given the opportunity to vote on those individuals who are on the ballot. The final selection will be made by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, but they will take into account the voting. Currently Otho is in the top ten. Every vote counts and you can vote once a day. The old phrase vote early and vote often definitely comes into play here.

The link to vote can be found at: http://www.fanschoice.com/

For those of you who may not be familiar with Otho I'll briefly summarize his amazing career. After getting his masters degree at Kent State he became their head athletic trainer. He later went to work for Duke University in the same position. After six years at Duke he joined the athletic training staff for the Baltimore Colts. After two years with the Colts he went to work for the Philadelphia Eagles where he stayed for 22 years until his retirement.

Otho is also a member of several other Halls of Fame including but not limited to the NATA and SWATA. He was the executive director of the NATA and the national office in Dallas has been renamed in his honor.

Once again let me urge you to vote often for Otho. http://www.fanschoice.com/

Billy Pickard day at Texas A&M

This past weekend at my alma mater Texas A&M University one of the greats of our profession was honored for a lifetime of service to not only athletic training, but also the school that he loves. It was Billy Pickard day at Texas A&M and this recognition couldn't have gone to a more deserving person. Over the past 50+ years there is no one who has spent more time in and around Kyle Field working for the Aggies than Mr. Pickard. In that same time there are very few people who have done as much for the profession of athletic training as well as the NATA. Mr. Pickard is a NATA and SWATA Hall of Famer. He got his start as a student trainer under Paul "Bear" Bryant back in the 50's where he was the one student who traveled with the team to Junction. If you ever get a chance to read "The Junction Boys" you not be disappointed. Mr. Pickard was one of the first secondary school athletic trainers in Texas before he returned to his beloved Texas A&M to work as the athletic trainer for many years before eventually moving into athletic administration. The University has also renamed the pedestrian walkway under Wellborn Road the Billy Pickard Pedestrian Passway or Pickard Pass for short.

As someone who learned so much about athletic training, the value of hard work, loyalty, and love of what you do I would like to salute you Mr. Pickard because I would most certainly not be what I am today without your insight, guidance, and love.

Mike Carroll '90

SWATA President

John Harvey Humanitarian Award 10th Anniversary

Dr. Luzita Vela of Texas State University was named the new SWATA Ethnic Diversity Chairperson last summer. At the EDAC meeting held in Arlington last summer they wanted to ensure renewed awareness of the John Harvey Humanitarian Award as it will be awarded for the 10th time at next summer's annual meeting.

SWATA is very excited that we will be marking the 10th anniversary of the award this summer. The past award recipients listed below were recognized because of their significant impact on ethnic minority athletic trainers or on physically active ethnic minority individuals. We are very proud of each recipient’s contribution and we look forward to recognizing more athletic trainers in SWATA.

The SWATA EDAC is working hard to increase the number of nominations for the award, but we are fighting an uphill battle. For one athletic trainers, by nature, are used to working without acknowledgement. A recent survey completed by SWATA attendees revealed that only 6% of respondents had nominated an athletic trainer for the John Harvey Award. Furthermore, many athletic trainers have the misconception that only minority athletic trainers can receive the award when that is not the case. Responses to the SWATA survey also indicated that many members felt that they did not know anyone that would be deserving of the award. Texas statistics show that the approximately half of state’s current population are ethnic minorities while nearly a quarter of the population in Arkansas’ are ethnic minorities.1,2 Given the potential for interaction with ethnically diverse individuals, it is hard to believe that not one athletic trainer is making a positive impact on an ethnically diverse athletic trainer, patient or student-athlete. Therefore, the SWATA EDAC needs your help. I would like to ask you to help EDAC in two ways: 1) speak to fellow SWATA members about the John Harvey Award to prevent any false impressions that they may have about the award and 2) consider nominating a fellow athletic trainer for the award this year. We would love to recognize athletic trainers that make an impact but we can’t unless they are nominated.

We appreciate your help in getting the word out about the John Harvey Humanitarian Award.
Past Award Recipients:
2001 John Harvey
2002 Elicia Leal
2003 Mike Vara
2004 Jim De La Cruz
2005 Raul Zamarripa
2006 Phil Francis
2007 Robert Ramos
2008 Scott Galloway
2009 Robert Gonzalez

For more information about the award, please visit the SWATA website at http://www.swata.org/honors_awards/john_harvey_award.php

SWATA Competency Workshop

Being a volunteer organization, much of the work that our wonderful committee chairs put into the success of SWATA goes unnoticed. I wanted to take a few moments to talk about the hard work of the Student Leadership and Development Committee and one of the programs they have created to help the students within SWATA.

Last February, approximately 50 students from District 6 (and some from neighboring states) descended upon the DFW metroplex for the inaugural workshop. They spent two days working towards a common goal: making preparations to pass the BOC certification exam. With the success of that workshop behind them, Dr. Gretchen Oliver and her committee set out to make the 2010 competency workshop even better.

On January 29, the 2010 SWATA Competency Workshop will be held at the Wyndham DFW North hotel. Over the span of two days, student athletic trainers will have the opportunity to:

* Take 12 different multiple choice exams covering the 6 domains
* Participate in an orthopedic surgeon led pro-section cadaver dissection
* Participate in clinical decision making scenario sessions
* Participate in an evening hands on session focusing on joint mobilizations and manual muscle testing

The Competency Workshop is open to current juniors, seniors and graduate students who want to better prepare for success on the BOC exam. The keynote speaker for the Workshop is Dr. Bill Prentice, NATA Hall of Famer and noted author in our field. Other information and registration steps can be found at https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=SWAT20E or under the student link at www.swata.org.

If you are a student preparing for the exam or are part of a program that includes these students, I hope that you encourage your students to participate. Let's work together and make this years Competency Workshop a success.

I hope each of you have a wonderful weekend and never hesitate to let us know what your Executive Board can do for you.

DT
SWATA Vice President

Wear a Little Pink This Month!!!

Well, it is hard to believe that is already October. It is slowly cooling down outside. Football teams are getting deep into district play. Basketball coaches are starting to salivate at the thought of late nights at the gym and screeching whistles filling the air. As the pumpkins start to pop up on front porches and the leaves start their colorful change indicating the holidays are right around the corner, October also serves a reminder of the fight that is going on each and every day in some people’s lives.

October has been designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – while this disease may not have affected you, chances are it has had a strong impact on a family member, a friend or a member of their family. According to the Susan G. Komen website, 192,370 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnoses in 2009. While the mortality rates for this disease continue to fall due to better awareness and screening methods, it is still imperative that funding and research continue to reach the ultimate goal of a cancer free world.

Last year I used this blog to tell the story of the Think Pink game between Central HS and Keller HS – that game raised over $12,000 to go to breast cancer research. Those two teams played the same game last night with the goal being $17,000 – well, they raised $20,000. Not able to travel to Keller for the game and donate to their fundraiser? Well, you’re in luck because I know exactly how you can help.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 –Day walk is right around the corner. On November 6 – 8, thousands of walkers will set out from Plano to walk 60 miles to their eventual goal of Fair Park. 20 miles a day. Passing freeways, parks and hospitals. Sleeping in tents at night. All with one goal……to eliminate breast cancer. I have had the opportunity to work the 3-Day over the past two years and it has changed the way I think about the human spirit and what a true athlete is. These ladies and men sacrifice their bodies, the skin off the bottom of their feet and every ounce of strength they have to reach the final pit stop. Mothers, fathers, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews…..the list goes on and on. Each one walking in the memory of a loved one who has passed away or been affected by breast cancer. Parents walking with the goal of their children never having to worry about the disease. One of my good friends, Jessica, is walking in the 3-Day……I have been following her journey of fund-raising and training on her website. Each year I see some of our colleagues in the athletic training profession who are out there walking for a family member or a good friend. Don’t know anyone walking? By the end of the 3 Day, you will have hundreds of new friends – I promise.

The 3–Day needs you. As Health Care professionals, you have the ability to impact more lives in a 3 day period then you might in a full year at your place of employment. There is a medical station set up at each pit stop where you will have the ability to stretch walkers, care for the worst blisters you have ever seen or simply patch a walker up just so they can make it to the next pit stop. All that is required of you is your time and your willingness to share a few minutes and hear the walker’s stories. There is nothing that has been more fulfilling in my professional career as watching the walkers march past you at the final march in – tears in their eyes, faces glowing and the triumph of helping reach that ultimate goal in their minds. Can't help out that weekend? The meidcal staff can alway use supplies to help care for the walkers.

To sign up as a volunteer, just log on to the following website. Pick a shift or two or spend the whole day, either way you will experience great rewards.

http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Volunteer_Opportunities.

Contact Cindy Trowbridge (mailto:ctrowbridge@uta.edu) or Ted Perry (ted.perry@gpisd.org) if you have any questions. Ted, Cindy, Mike Stokic, Mike Pruitt, Tysha Beaty, Kelley Henderson, Betsy Nadler, and Lou Fincher will be there all three days. Hall of Famers Brian Conway and Ken Locker never miss out and even serve as the Sports Medicine official sponsors. Students from UT-Arlington and Texas Christian always come out in force too. My wife and I will be there, also – if at all possible, you should consider joining us.