University of Georgia Athletics
UGA To Host 'Best Practices' Conference
May 02, 2014 | General
May 2, 2014
ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia will team with the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), the NCAA and the National Center for Sports Safety to host a "Best Practices for Intercollegiate Sports Medicine Managers" conference from Monday-Wednesday (May 5-7) on the UGA campus.
"This is a hot-button topic right now in college athletics," said Ron Courson, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine for the UGA Athletic Association. "We want to make certain that the decisions made regarding athletic care are always in the best interest of the student-athlete. This is an opportunity to exchange information and share our thoughts and ideas. We have registered nearly 250 representatives from 42 states and are excited about the opportunity to have this discussion on our campus."
Keynote addresses will be delivered by Chris Conley, a wide receiver for the Georgia football team who has served as a student-athlete on the NCAA Football issues committee; Brian Hainline, Medical Director of the NCAA; and Jim Thornton, President of the NATA.
Panel discussions include a session on the perspective of student-athletes, with Conley moderating a panel featuring UGA student-athletes David Andrews (football), Laura Eddy (women's soccer), Marcus Thornton (men's basketball), Shannon Vreeland (women's swimming) and Shayla Worley (women's gymnastics).
"We wanted to ensure that the voice of the student-athlete is heard," Courson said. "A lot of times at conferences and symposiums, you have great information from various experts and sources. We thought it was important to hold this conference on a campus to make sure that student-athletes are involved in the conversation."
The conference comes on the heels of the "Consensus Statement on Best Practices in Sports Medicine Management for Secondary Schools and Colleges" that was recently published in the Journal of Athletic Training.
