Dear , Like most organizations, the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy continues to grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And while this disease has provided us with new avenues for programming like those hosted virtually this last week for both the Early Career Professionals and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees, the Academy’s board of directors has been engaged in conversations about how this global pandemic will impact in-person training like the Team Concept Conference (TCC) later this year. I write today to share news from the Academy on the state of this year’s TCC. As you may know, we are slated to host TCC at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas on December 2-4, 2020, and its theme is The Female Athlete. Given the rapid changes forced on us by the Coronavirus, the Academy's Executive Board last week decided to cancel this year’s in-person TCC in Las Vegas. It was not a decision made lightly; our first and foremost thought was and continues to be about the health and safety of our members, many of whom may still be hesitant to travel to places like Las Vegas and congregate in large gatherings even when assured of appropriate social distancing. And even though TCC is still six months away, contractually the call needed to be made this month to cancel the conference. We are presently exploring alternative models that allow us to host a virtual TCC in place of the in-person conference while keeping the same programmatic theme centered on the female athlete. We are excited about the opportunities that this virtual format will present to our membership. Academy staff have been researching best practices for hosting virtual conferences, including how we will handle educational sessions, exhibitor halls, Academy meetings, and the TeamMates networking event. This shift in program delivery will allow us to continue to offer you quality TCC programming while increasing attendance from membership not normally able to attend the conference due to financial, professional, or personal commitments. We are not yet prepared to share specific details about how this year’s TCC will unfold. The home office will release more details and plans in July via email and on our new Academy website slated to go live on July 1. We hope you join us in looking forward to an educational, innovative, and highly attended TCC this year in this new virtual format. Please let us know if you have any questions. Sincerely yours, Mark DeCarlo Executive Director |