June 24, 2016 by JordanG
Megan Little, ATC, head athletic trainer at Hedgesville High School in Martinsburg, West Virginia, decided her close proximity to Baltimore made 2016 the perfect year to attend her first NATA convention. She is one of the volunteers who helped NATA staff prepare for the convention this week and took a few minutes to share her thoughts on the convention experience with us.
- What made you decide to attend this year’s conference? This year, I decided to attend NATA because it was close to home. I am familiar with Baltimore and being from Maryland, I knew a lot of people going to convention and in the area.
- What were you most looking forward to this year and why? I was most looking forward to reuniting with old classmates and attending lectures with them. There are people here who I haven't seen in 5+ years so, catching up with them and growing as an athletic trainer with them is really exciting.
- What has been your favorite part of the NATA convention? I have really enjoyed the AT Expo. There are a lot of products and companies that I did not even know existed that can help my kids and my teams in many ways.
- You volunteered during convention. Tell us about that experience. I volunteered at two different booths during convention. First, I was at the NATA gear booth. That was a lot of fun! Who doesn't need new NATA gear? I also volunteered at the NATA Foundation & Silent Auction. I enjoyed working there as well. There are some really awesome things being auctioned off!
- Why did you want to volunteer and what did you get out of it? I wanted to volunteer to meet other athletic trainers from different areas. It is amazing how many ATs we have here from all over! I spoke with a guy yesterday from Hawaii! I would have never gotten the chance to talk to these individuals but I did through volunteering.
- What is something you’ll taken away from the NATA convention and use when you return home? I will definitely implement some of the practices discussed in the EBP lecture on ankle injuries. Also, I will propose the use of certain products that I found at the Expo.
- Now that you’ve been through your first convention experience, what advice would you give convention newcomers, particularly students? Come! Don't let the cost of the convention, travel, food, etc. deter you. You will get your money's worth! Also, soak it up. Try to go to as much as you can even if no one wants to go with you. It is OK to go alone - because, really you're not alone-- there are hundreds of other athletic trainers with you!
