Article CategoriesAFM Magazine
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The American Equipment Managers Associationby: Bruce Madej© More from this issue The purpose of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association (AEMA) is, as a national organization, to promote, advance, and improve the equipment managers’ profession in all of its many phases. Members of the AEMA will now be working with American Football Monthly to help educate and inform AFM subscribers about how to better address equipment-related issues. What is the background of the AEMA? In 1980, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) – whose primary mission is to reduce athletic injuries and death through standards and certification for athletic equipment – accepted the AEMA application for an equipment manager seat on the board. Now the organization has grown to over 900 members, representing male and female equipment managers from three different continents comprising the largest athletic equipment association in the world. AEMA membership gives the individual access to a comprehensive range of support services specifically developed to meet professional needs. Simply put, it can make a member more employable, help the member perform better and raise his or her professional profile. Members share the AEMA’s passion for the safety and protection of athletes, education support and camaraderie of fellow athletic equipment managers. The AEMA is an organization that enables its members to learn more efficient techniques to help improve their workplace and work toward the mission of bringing equipment improvements for the greater safety of all participants in sports. By being a part of the AEMA, those members are helping teams, clubs, and organizations at all levels give their athletes the safest possible environment for playing a sport. To become a member of the AEMA, the official application form must be filled out which is available on the organization’s website – equipmentmanagers.org. Upon submission, a password will be sent and once the AEMA staff approves the application, you will be instructed to make a membership payment. After payment is received, membership is activated. There are, essentially, four levels of membership – students (for full time students), active (for working athletic equipment managers), associate (for athletic equipment managers who are in-between engagements), and retired (for those 55 or older and have previously worked for 10 or more years as an Athletic Equipment Manager). Certification is the formal recognition of specialized knowledge, skills and experience in the profession. It is an educational program that gives athletic equipment managers a certain level of proficiency in the performance of their jobs. Certification has never been a form of unionization to force recognition by the athletic community but, rather, an attempt to improve the profession through education. It represents to employers a level of competence, professionalism and accountability to the organizations represented. To be eligible to take the AEMA Certification Examination, a candidate must: Some of the workshops from last June’s convention in Jacksonville included: |
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