Athletes back in gym after a long stretch
Despite loss of 2020-21 season, Brock University athletic therapist Marshall switching to personal from virtual training sessions
While a student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Kelsey Marshall debated whether to try out for the Golden Hawks women’s basketball team.
As she assessed her chances of making the roster, she realized her skill set was not strong enough to compete at the university level.
Instead, Marshall applied to work in the athletic department as a student therapist. It was an opportunity to stay involved in sports and allowed Marshall to lean into her desire to help people.
And she figured it would be less of a time commitment.
That’s not exactly how it turned out. Not only was it just as much of a commitment, on some days it was more.
Not that Marshall minded. While at school, she capitalized on an opportunity to work at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats training camp and quickly began cultivating a passion for what would ultimately become her career.
“I was working crazy hours, and I woke up every morning really excited and eager to get back to work the next day,” Marshall recalled.
After attending Sheridan College, Marshall worked at McMaster University and earned temporary contracts with Hockey Canada’s women’s development program and Football Canada’s women’s national team.
After Joe Kenny retired following 37 years as the athletic therapist at Brock University, Marshall interviewed and secured the full-time position.
“The lucky candidate,” she called herself.
The Edmonton native is in her third year with the Badgers, overseeing men’s rugby, men’s lacrosse and both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams. It is her job to ensure athletes are not only brought back from injury to daily living but back to excelling at their sport.
While Marshall readily admitted she wasn’t altogether familiar with the profession in the beginning, she is no stranger to the athletic world. Her father, Greg Marshall, is a former Canadian Football League coach and currently heading up the University of Toronto’s football team. She observed from an early age — having had the luxury of being in and around locker rooms — the work ethic required at the professional level.
“(My dad) taught me a lot about perseverance because things haven’t always gone perfectly in his career,” Marshall said. “Seeing how passionate he is about sport in his job, I think drew me more toward the athletic therapy side of things.”
She didn’t know at the time what impact those experiences would have on her life moving forward. Instead of feeling uncomfortable or tentative as Marshall stepped into her role on the sideline, she fell into the environment naturally.
And the 30-year-old has relied on that confidence throughout her career. Because Marshall is under no illusion about the choice she has made. She is a woman in a male-dominated field, and she recognizes that is a barrier for any woman trying to succeed. But it is only a small hurdle, one that falls away by doing the work.
“I just try and build a rapport. And also I think, what I’ve learned throughout, is trying to find a way to fit in, and kind of make room at the table … but not losing that confidence or courage to maybe have some conversations that aren’t as comfortable,” she said.
By taking contract positions outside Brock athletics, including working with the Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League when they won the 2020 Summer Series championship in St. Catharines in August, it has enabled Marshall to work with different athletes and alongside unfamiliar coaching staffs.
“You’re stepping outside your comfort zone because it’s not the people you are around every day but in the end, it kind of challenges you and pushes you to be a better therapist,” she said.
“I think it’s normal for young therapists coming out of just being certified,” she added.
“You’re trying to kind of find your space, and find your voice and your confidence within your skill set.”
Marshall has taken a step forward as a leader at Brock, and what began as a passion project took off during the lockdown. A small group of the sports staff began laying the foundation for Women in Sport, a supportive space at the university where women can discuss relevant information and issues that affect their lives and foster the next generation of leaders.
“I really think that women have so much to contribute as leaders, and they have so much of a voice. And so much of that within them already,” said Marshall. “Just have a space for them to be heard and feel represented.”
Marshall begins each season by speaking directly to the teams, making sure they understand what her job entails. Players often see the job of an athletic therapist as one who keeps them from playing, but that is her least favourite part of the job. Her goal is to get players healthy so they can compete at a high level.
But, when injuries happen, it is never easy.
“There’s definitely been some emotional times when I’m running onto the field and I know it and they know it, especially if it’s something that’s seasonending,” she said. “I’ve been through some tough situations with different athletes and I definitely am a very empathetic person so I try and not take it home with me.
“But there definitely have been nights where I’ve sat at home pretty upset after a day’s work.”
Standing on the sidelines watching a player get back on the field — after all the rehabilitation and therapy sessions — are the moments that make the job special.
“I can still remember having brought back certain athletes from post-surgical back to playing full, and the excitement that we had and the nerves that we felt prior to them playing and being in those experiences together,” said Marshall. “Those kind of stick out to me.”
The past seven months have been difficult, bringing about a completely new way for athletic therapists to do their jobs. But as athletes get back in the gym — even with the university season lost due to the pandemic — Marshall is excited for that little bit of normalcy. Albeit with masks, visors and multiple jugs of sanitizer.
“I think I realized how much I am a people person (during quarantine) and just the difference of doing my job at home virtually over the computer,” she said. “It’s very different. And just trying to stay positive and do what we can each day and keep them engaged.”