On Working with the Thunder

What do you enjoy most about being the team's athletic trainer? How's it been going?

The organization here as a whole is amazing – there are a lot of hard working, committed people doing whatever they can to keep hockey in Glens Falls. Everyone has a different role, but we all work hard to do our part to give the team the best chance to succeed. The staff has always focused on bringing in great hockey players that are also good people – team culture is very important to us and that is one of the best aspects of working with the Thunder. I have great support on the medical side as well - we have great team physicians and other healthcare providers that are involved in maintaining the health and wellness of our players. It’s great to be surrounded by such wonderful people who genuinely care about them as people, not just as athletes.

Are there any particular challenges that come with the role?

Sometimes it’s challenging to be both the athletic trainer and strength coach – it can be a little overwhelming some days if there are a lot of injuries and treatments to do, and then trying to find time to plan the workouts for the team. But I have great interns and helpers who do whatever they can to take some tasks off my plate so I can focus on the important stuff. Our players are also awesome – they understand that everyone in our organization wears many hats, and they are great about being patient and letting you prioritize what needs to be done first.

The travel in this league can also be very exhausting at times. We all do our best to stay positive and balance work and rest but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t challenging! Lots of late nights and naps on the bus when we can.

We understand that you're one of two female athletic trainers in the ECHL. We think that's awesome! What are your thoughts on that?

Tara Guilliland-Smith with Brampton and I are the 2 female athletic trainers in our league. While it still may not be a common thing to see female athletic trainers working with mens professional teams, it’s been really positive to see female Athletic Trainers in the other big sporting leagues recently –the NFL, MLB and NBA all have teams that have had female Athletic Trainers on staff. The number of women getting into athletic training now outnumbers men, so things will have to change based solely on the math. As cliché as it may sound, I think you just have to do the work - work hard, do your job well, and show that women can do just as great a job as men can. That’s the only way for us to prove that we belong and open doors for other women to get opportunities as well.

I’ve been very fortunate – every team and organization that I have worked with has treated me just like any staff member regardless of gender. There are some awkward situations that arise, but we’re all professionals and when the players trust you and know you’re going to do the right thing by them I don’t think they really care what gender you are – they just want someone who does a good job, knows their stuff, and cares.

What are some of the most frequent injuries that you encounter?

Tons of contusions from blocking shots and body contact. We see a lot of lacerations as well. Shoulders, hips, and wrists are very common areas for hockey injuries. It’s a long season and a physical league, so there are a lot of wear and tear type injuries that build up over time too.

Any advice you would offer anyone aspiring to be an athletic trainer?

Always be prepared- you’ll save yourself a lot of angst if you make sure you have what you need, and appearing efficient just makes you look good.

Regardless of what sport you think you want to work in, work as many different sports as you can when you’re a student. You’ll see a variety of different injuries and that makes you a more well-rounded healthcare professional.

Sometimes in this role you have to make difficult decisions that aren’t always easy to make, and you can’t please everyone. But you’ll never regret doing the right thing. If you can look at yourself in the mirror each night and know you did what was best for your athletes – you’re on the right track.

It’s also really important to remember that your needs matter too – those of us that spend our lives caring for others need to remember that. I always start my day with a workout before the players arrive – when things get challenging and you get pulled in different directions, it’s a good feeling to know that you did something for yourself first.

On a Typical Day with the Thunder

A typical practice or home game day for me starts pretty early. I’m usually the first one to get to the arena around 6:30am so I can get a workout in before our staff meeting at 7:30am. The coaches, equipment manager Alex Mann and I meet most days to go over the injury report, the line ups, roadtrips – basically just making sure the staff is on the same page. After that, I spend my time getting ready for practice and the day before the players arrive – I put workouts on the board for the team, prepare for treatments, set the bench up for practice. I have interns that help us with the preparations as well. If we are hosting a visiting team, Alex and I will get their locker rooms set up and make sure they have all the supplies they need. I’ll do treatments both before and after practice depending on what injuries we have going on and where players are at in their recovery. During practice you’ll find me on the bench making sure everyone is safe. After practice I’ll wrap up treatments, check in with our physicians and provide any updates they may need, set up any appointments for players that need to be made, injury documenting and workers compensation updates, and then clean-up for the next day.

If it’s a gameday, we’ll take a break for a couple of hours and come back in the afternoon for another round of set up and treatments before the game. I’m on the bench for warms ups and during the game to take care of any injuries that occur, and during intermissions we stay ready for anything the players may need.

On the road, the routine can change a lot depending on our travel schedule – there’s less set up and more heavy lifting. But for me, it still centers around treatments and making sure the players get what they need to be ready for the game.