National Athletic Trainers' Association Receives Gold Circle Award

DALLAS (February 15, 2002) - The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) was recently awarded a 2001 Gold Circle Award for Excellence and Innovation in Association Management by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). The NATA's winning entry, a scientific paper entitled, "Fluid Replacement for Athletes," presents guidelines on maintaining proper hydration while participating in physical activity. The document was written by a team of physicians and certified athletic trainers headed by Douglas Casa, PhD, ATC, a professor at the University of Connecticut. "We're very pleased that our fluid replacement statement was chosen for this recognition, but not at all surprised," said NATA Executive Director Eve Becker-Doyle, CAE. "Research-based information on this topic is crucial to people involved in physical activity, and we're happy to see the hard work of the writing group, our reviewers and the NATA Pronouncements Committee acknowledged in this way." ASAE's Gold Circle Awards recognize work completed in 14 disciplines within the field of association management, ranging from professional development and marketing to technology and component relations. The NATA was honored at a special reception for Gold Circle Award winners held during the ASAE Management and Technology Conferences and Exposition on December 3, 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland. Based in Dallas, Texas, the NATA is a not-for-profit organization with more than 27,000 members nationwide. The NATA's mission is to enhance the quality of health care for athletes and those engaged in physical activity, and to advance the profession of athletic training through education and research in the prevention, evaluation, management and rehabilitation of injuries.