Each January, I have always enjoyed looking back at the last year and reflecting on all that occurred the previous year. It is a rewarding and productive activity that ensures I remain focused on the big picture. It’s often too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day wins and losses and lose focus on the season ahead.

I do this for my personal and professional areas of life, and I recommend you consider a similar process.

As President of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT), it’s part of my duty to you to perform this activity for the Academy. Looking back at all that the Executive Committee, home office, and volunteer leadership have accomplished, I can’t help but smile and feel so proud and honored to serve the membership.

While change is never easy in a leadership position, neither is becoming stagnant. I believe that each new President of the AASPT should take a step back and look at the Academy with fresh eyes. It’s an honor to walk in the footsteps of the past Presidents of the AASPT and build upon all the past successes. I look forward to the next President doing the same. This process will ensure that our incredible Academy continues to evolve. Sometimes, you need to take one step back to take two steps forward.

That’s how I feel my presidency has evolved.

During my first year, we took a step back to re-evaluate our mission, vision, and success path for members. We took a deep look at the structure and function of the Academy in an attempt to ensure we are meeting the needs of all our members.

As we pass the halfway point of my second year as President, we’ve already made tremendous progress and first step forward. We’ve restructured our existing committees and established new committees in areas that needed attention. We’ve listened to feedback from our members and are starting to refresh our approach to educational opportunities for members. We’ve continued to grow our collaborations with other organizations, like AOSSM, AANA, and OSET, to provide our members with as many opportunities as possible.

In addition, we are excited to announce a renewed partnership with IJSPT. Since the journal’s inception as a publication of the AASPT back in 2005, IJSPT has always been one of the benefits that membership has ranked highest in our surveys. We look forward to partnering with IJSPT again on several educational, research, and publication opportunities for our members.

While the leadership of the Academy has worked hard, much of this has occurred in the background. Sometimes, things seem incomplete when small pieces of the puzzle are viewed without the context of the entire plan.

As I prepare for the start of my third year as President this summer, I look forward to seeing all this progress come together and the membership start to reap the benefits of all this hard work. The second step forward. This will become apparent with the return of our AASPT Annual Meeting.

We’re incredibly excited to announce the new AASPT Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, which will be held on June 13-14th, 2024. The AASPT Annual Meeting should be the premier event for all Sports Physical Therapists, from students to late-career professionals. It will be an exceptional educational experience with cutting-edge concepts and the latest research evidence that sports physical therapists can apply to the clinic immediately. Plus, as always, amazing social and networking events!

Thank you to all the members for your continued support; it’s been an honor to serve! I can’t wait for that second step forward. I hope to see you at the Annual Meeting!

Mike Reinold, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS
President, AASPT