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Emily Dulhanty ,

February 28, 2015 Email Emily Dulhanty On Twitter:

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Lauren Sesselmann

Lauren Sesselmann “feeling amazing” a year after ACL injury



A year after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament before the 2014 Cyprus Cup, defender Lauren Sesselmann is on the comeback trail. With just three months until the Women’s World Cup, she will not be in Canada’s squad for March’s 2015 Cyprus Cup, but will instead join the Houston Dash, her NWSL team, for preseason before joining back up with the national team in a few weeks. RedNation Online got the chance to speak with Sesselmann and discuss her rehab process over the last year.



RNO: I believe it is exactly one year to the day Lauren since you tore your ACL in Cyprus. Can you give us a little bit of update on where you are now in your rehab?



Lauren Sesselmann: I am almost full contact, I’ve done a lot of on field training, but not particularly with the team yet. I did some sessions with the team, a couple of the drills. So they’re kind of slowly getting me back into the swing of things. My goal was first to get to Cyprus, but then we decided that we wanted to have a little bit more full field training, full contact before I kind of just jumped into games in Cyprus. We are just being smart about it. I am feeling amazing, I’ve been so fortunate to have such a great training staff behind me. I’m feeling great and I just can’t wait, when the team gets back from Cyprus, to jump right back in with them.



RNO: Is your plan to go into preseason training with Houston then meet back up with the national team in a few weeks?



Lauren Sesselmann: Yes, that’s the plan. It was to go out there [to Houston] while [the WNT] is in Cyprus. It was actually perfect timing for me to go into Houston and go into preseason with them and get my confidence back up, my tackling back up, my fitness back up. I wanted to be 100% before I jump back into it with the [national] team so I wasn’t slowing them down at all. It’s a great opportunity for me to go in and to work on my full contact, just to play and let loose and get the nerves out, the rust out, then get back in and focus hard in for the last three months [until the world cup].



RNO: You’ve spent a lot of time at the Fortius Centre in Burnaby, where the women’s national team trains during the residency program; what is it like as an athlete to have all of the specialists and therapists you need under the same roof?



Lauren Sesselmann: It is a phenomenal facility, they have everything. You can even sleep there, which we have actually done. They have places where you can stay overnight, so they have everything at your fingertips. It’s great that once I go to my training, then I can go work with a massage therapist, I can go work with a chiropractor, I can get acupuncture, I can do ice baths. Just about anything I need is right there, it’s great.



RNO: Can you take me through what a typical day for you was like at Fortius after your surgery?



Lauren Sesselmann: Yeah, we’re already busy enough as it is when you are not injured, but when you are injured, you’re kind of on a whole other level, because you are constantly in recovery, in treatment and stuff like that. So for me, I’ll get up around 7am, I like to start my day early. I’ll do a little stretching and have a great breakfast. Then I’ll go over to Fortius and it depends on what day it is, I’ll have a training session on field, or I’ll have a lift session. Sometimes I’ll have a double day, or I’ll stay there and do some work at Starbucks, and just be stretching out until I have a massage or [see a] chiropractor. You’re constantly in treatment, then I’ll be watching game film. Then I have meetings just to make sure I am on the same page as the team, because I don’t want to have any missteps when I get back into the full swing with them. I probably stop doing everything about 9:30/10pm, then I’ll do another stretch session and roll out on the foam roller and then get some rest and do the same thing the next day!



RNO: Now that you’re close to a comeback on the field, you are working to regain all of that game fitness. How do you ensure that you’ll be at your fitness peak come June, but not cross that fine line of doing too much work and getting injured?



Lauren Sesselmann: Well, with the training staff that I’m working with, I’m working hand in hand with people at Fortius, then also with the trainers for Canada and the people in Houston, so we’re all in constant communication and they have everything mapped out for me, so I don’t have to worry about over doing it. And they say “hey, if you’re hurting that day, a little sore, then just let us know and we will cut it back for you.” They are very on top of how I feel, and we fill out diaries every day to let them know how we feel. Then when I join the team back they will probably start ramping me up a little bit more.



RNO: You launched a series of fitness DVDs called “Fit as a Pro.” How did you get the idea for this endeavor and has having a project like this helped you during the injury?



Lauren Sesselmann: It’s something I’m very passionate about, and it kind of keeps me sane through all of this because the total rehab process is frustrating, it’s mentally draining. Having something to work on outside of that takes away from that mental frustration. I’ve had the company for a little over a year now. The process behind it is that everybody is always so busy, they’re on the go, and their excuse is that they don’t have time to work out. So these [workouts] are all on the go, you can do it wherever you are in the world, no equipment needed, ten minute workouts, get it in before your children wake up for school. It’s for all fitness levels, I have lower impact stuff, high impact stuff, and I’m just really excited to see where the brand is going to go.



RNO: You played the 2013 season with Kansas City in the NWSL and you are with the Houston Dash now, but you also played a few seasons in the WPS before the Canadian national team even came in the picture. Can you tell me a bit about your thoughts on the level of play in NWSL compared to WPS?



Lauren Sesselmann: I think that it’s such a great platform for all of us as players. When I was coming out of college, the pro league wasn’t around, so that was very hard for us, especially if you wanted to continue playing. So it’s a great experience playing with people from all over the world, and my journey has been a little different than some. My first three years in WPS, I really didn’t play that much. I was a forward and at the time I wasn’t getting minutes. Then I was very fortunate enough to get the opportunity to play for Canada. And that kind of gave me the opportunity to be seen a little bit more [professionally], to see what I can do. I was turned into a defender at that time. I’ve been very fortunate and very blessed. I had a great time in Kansas City and I am looking forward to a great season with Houston, they have a great program.



RNO: In 2011, you started with Canada as a left back, after being converted from a forward, which you played in college at Purdue University and a bit in the WPS. Then you were moved to centre back at the 2012 London Olympics, and after London it seems like your main position has been centre back. Has it been difficult to transition between the different positions on the back line?



Lauren Sesselmann: You know, coach [John Herdman] likes to put me in whatever position we need depending on who we are playing against, so I love playing both positions. I think it’s fun at left back to get into the attack, it brings me back to my glory days as a forward! And then being a centre back, you’re pretty much the leader on the team, and you’re kind of the last line of defense. I love playing both positions. It doesn’t really matter, wherever he sticks me I am going to give 110%.



RNO: Where do you see yourself on June 6th, Canada’s World Cup opener?



Lauren Sesselmann: I see myself kicking butt, taking names on the field against China!



RNO: I’d like to know a little bit about how you see Canada’s three group stage opponents, what your first thoughts are that come to mind for each.



Lauren Sesselmann: I think with all three of the teams that we have with us, they all bring something different to the table. Every team has strengths and weaknesses and I think it’s going to be great, all three of the match ups. China is an amazing team, they’re really coming along. New Zealand has so many great players and they’re always pulling something new out of their hat. We have played them before and they were tough. The Netherlands is just so strong. And I think you just have to be ready, you have to study, a lot of preparation and you can’t really worry about the opposition, you have to focus on what we all bring to the table. We’re going to make everybody proud.



RNO: Thanks so much for your time Lauren and good luck.



Lauren Sesselmann: No problem, anytime.