Why Strength and Conditioning

             Going into exercise science as a major opened up many doors for my future.  I had the option to be a physical therapist, personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, or going clinical and getting into cardiac rehab, or becoming a medical physician. After researching numerous website and careers, I planned to become a physical therapist. I felt that it would be extremely rewarding to be to help athletes come back bigger, faster and stronger from an injury.
              Freshman year at Capital University, during preseason basketball, I tore my ACL and MCL.  I wasn't devastated as some would be to have an injury. I never got injured in high school, and college basketball had more powerful girls for me to face. Setbacks are apart of any athletic career. Well apart of life for that matter. But, prior to surgery, I had to do 'pre-hab' (exercises before surgery to bounce back from surgery quicker). Talking to my physical therapist, Kristin, I asked why girls are more likely for ACL tears, and did some research on ACL tears and athletes. (I was also in anatomy so doing rehab and learning about the body was a huge factor in my grade.)
               I learned how my body moved, where my body was weak and what my body compensated for. By also learned how much prevention should have taken place before I got injured. I wondered why a coach wouldn't incorporate strengthen exercises for our teams weak points. I then wondered why coaches wouldn't do everything in their power to keep their players healthy and injury free to succeed in the sport. I mean, our coaches left right after practice and half our team didn't even lift, nor proper was proper form ever shown to most girls. I was soon the 'go-to' girl on how to do things and I was just a little freshman.
                 After thinking about physical therapy, I then looked into strength and conditioning. Why not be that person that cares to keep kids injury free and show them how to do proper movements to help them succeed prior to getting hurt? Even more satisfying than helping them come back from an injury is to inhibit injury in the first place.
              The Spot Athletics has put me in an advantageous position to help athletes compete in an elite way.  Instead of helping athletes bounce back from an injury, I'd like to prevent injury from happening and not only help with injury prevention but implement better habits for a healthier life style.  I am a big advocate on not wasting a day. It is one of the best feelings in the world waking up and kicking todays ass early in the morning and that momentum keeps going. Having young athletes sit and play video games and stay in watching TV is not taking on the day strong. Going outside and jumping, running, throwing and all the dynamic work Nic talked about in his last blog can not only help the child's strength but also athleticism. Young kids carry habits into their adult years.
           My family had a routine of taking a walk or running and when we got older, we went to the gym.  I have carried that habit into my college years and I have never left it. Starting athletes young and implementing good habits will also lead to less injury as they grow older. They know how to squat correctly as a child, and in high school, they will not only have good squat form then, they will also be more powerful. I would love to watch a kid grow into a potential college athlete, starting while they were in middle school/jr. high. Learning to become a strength and conditioning coach has become one of my passions, that I would love to share with athletes not only to help them with their sports, but with life as a whole.


Coach Cassie