They aren't the first state to consider it, but they are the first state to take the plunge. Next year, New Jersey will begin random steroid testing for high school athletes in all championship sports, following an executive mandate by Acting Governor Richard Codey.

Recent studies have shown that concussions can be a serious problem in soccer, occurring as frequently as in football. Now, for the first time, an official standard has been developed for protective headgear for the world's most popular sport.

With an estimated one to four percent of young women in the U.S. suffering from eating disorders and considering the high calorie demands of competitive athletes, early diagnosis of disordered eating in female student-athletes is critical. University of Missouri researcher Pamela Hinton, PhD, has found that a written questionnaire can help predict specific psychosocial risk factors associated with disordered eating habits.

The 2005 edition of the NATA's Athletic Training Salary Survey contained good news for athletic trainers in all segments of the profession. The results, released in November during Allied Health Professionals Week, reveal that paychecks for athletic trainers have gone up considerably since last measured in 2003.

For Wendy Svoboda, ATC, Tulane's Director of Athletic Training, the 2005-06 school year began like any other. She organized her staff, prepared for pre-participation physicals, and welcomed Tulane's athletes back to campus. But those first few weeks in August would be her last business-as-usual days for a very long time.

The question is not if, but when MRSA will show up in your athletic department. This author recounts his school's experience in stopping the infection's spread.

Next season, high school wrestlers join their college counterparts in having to follow minimum weight guidelines. In most states, athletic trainers are being asked to help implement the changes.

There is a trend today to identify postural imbalances in athletes. Such an assessment is only effective, however, if it is done in a dynamic environment.

Should athletic departments test their athletes for potentially fatal heart conditions? As medical experts debate the issue, some schools are beginning their own screening programs.

When it comes to water polo, the UCLA women do, thanks in part to an aggressive strength training program.