Training year round makes cross-country skiing a pretty physically taxing sport. Injuries during the ski season are rare because skiing is a very low impact sport, but with large volumes of training the muscles tend to get pretty tight and mess with the natural movement of the body. Tight muscles can lead to injuries during the off -season when training in running or strength, and can also prevent your body from functioning most efficiently. The typical measures I take to prevent injury on a day to day basis is regular stretching along with occasional muscle rolling out, using some kind of foam roller. When an injury occurs however or there is some part of my body not functioning properly I take advantage of the amazing athletic therapy offered by Carleton for varsity athletes.
The athletic therapists at Carleton have a wide variety of therapeutic techniques to treat injuries. When needed, they have the option to use ultrasound, pain management, electrical muscle stimulation, therapeutic exercises, orthotics, braces combined with massage therapy and Chiropractic care. There are 7 staff members and I believe at least one intern. I have had the pleasure to be treated by a number of different staff members and it is always a great experience. Not only do they massage sore muscles and give you exercises to build on your weaknesses but they also provide a very warm, welcoming and fun environment. You can see by the work ethic of all the therapists, and the personal relations they create with their athletes that each therapist loves their job, helping athletes reach their full potential, even though most times I go in it is an extremely busy working environment. So thank you very much to Nadine Smith, Bruce Marshall, Adam Davies, Gabrielle Leger, Briggite Roy, Mel Fiala, and Ian Groskleg. Most of these therapists have helped me a great deal in overcoming and preventing injuries and it is always a pleasure to see them.
We also have the opportunity to have massage therapists from Algonquin college in training come and work on us once a week. This year I have been taking full advantage of this great opportunity and have got a muscle imbalance in my shoulder worked on almost every week since being back at school. It is neat to see people working through the problems posed by different body malfunctions with great enthusiasm to figure the puzzle out. So thank you to Basil and all his massage therapists in training.
I believe that all the little things you do to improve the functioning of your body can really lead to large improvements in your training and racing. So we are very lucky at Carleton to be receiving these world-class services. Thank you again to all the staff at athletic therapy and Algonquin massage therapy for putting in your time to make us better athletes.
"Winning Moves"