Certified Athletic Therapist Terrill Lobo gave us an inside look into his extensive career in athletic therapy. From working with amateur and Olympic athletes to world-class performers from all over the globe, his experience is anything but limited. With a career spanning nearly 25 years, he remains dedicated to his core philosophies: emphasizing the fundamentals of movement and an unwavering commitment to continuous learning.
Terrill’s experience with athletic therapy began as a patient. Following a serious hockey injury that resulted in a fractured lumbar spine, Terrill was sent to a Certified AT for treatment. Here, he became enthralled with the profession and its anatomy-based focus on rehabilitation and modality.
After being told by his doctor that he should avoid contact sports, Terrill shares, “I knew immediately there was another way for me to reach my dream of being in professional sports,” and his future in athletic therapy began to take shape.
Starting his education at the University of Alberta in 2000, Terrill found himself working with the wrestling team as a student trainer (therapist). Although brand new to the sport, Terrill used this to his advantage and worked alongside the athletes to learn the sport and build an important foundation for his career.
Terrill went above and beyond to gain experience, working with hundreds of outstanding athletes and coaches across a diverse spectrum of sports. Terrill says, "If I was ever going to reach my goal of getting to professional sports, I needed as much experience, exposure and knowledge I could get as a student trainer (therapist).”
Becoming a Certified AT in 2005, Terrill’s professional career brought him to some incredible teams and places. Working with Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, and the Canada Winter Games, he also assisted with medical coverage for multiple world and Olympic hockey, wrestling and track and field events. He was even recently in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games!
Despite being established in this line of work, Terrill pivoted in 2010 to join Cirque du Soleil as a member of the Performance Medicine department. “I had to learn everything from scratch,” Terrill says. “It was a very humbling experience.”
Terrill knew the one thing that would see him through this period was his aptitude for learning. He remembers the important advice he got from a former coworker: ‘You can’t treat something you don’t understand.’ Terrill shares that, “I had to change my mindset and become a student again.”
His diverse client list has taught him which philosophies are most effective for patient and athlete care. “As a Certified Athletic Therapist, I believe we have a unique opportunity to really make a difference in someone’s life,” Terrill says. Referencing the importance of communication, relationship building and active listening, Terrill treats his patients with consideration and compassion while also educating them about their injury, “so they can take some ownership in getting better.”
“I am not a fancy therapist,” Terrill states. His focus remains on the “core principles of movement,” and the three pillars of Strength, Stability and Mobility are a part of his assessment for each athlete he works with. With this information, Terrill builds his treatment plan around the specificities of the needs, sport or career of the individual, never forgetting that “you can’t treat something you don’t understand.”
Although a major part of his career, physical wellness is only half of the story. Achieving wellness and healing involves a holistic approach, something that Terrill practices regularly. “I believe it is equally important that we are addressing everything from their mental health, psychology, nutrition and hydration,” Terrill shares, “Too many people focus solely on the tree and miss the forest.”
Terrill has established himself as a premier Certified AT in both Canada and the US. Recognized by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as having Extraordinary Abilities as a Certified AT, Terrill has also been internationally recognized in the profession. In 2020, he opened Kinergy Sports Medicine and Performance in Las Vegas, where he works to help meet treatment and training needs of all active individuals.
Sharing the healing journey with a client by working with them through the highs and lows of rehabilitation, and then getting to see them smile when they finally return to function is what Terrill shares is the most rewarding part of his position. Working in “a job that never feels like work,” Terrill is grateful that he has been able to “see the world, meet so many wonderful people and have life experiences that we only see in movies,” calling it “one of life's true blessings.”
Thank you to Terrill for sharing his experience with us. To see Terrill in action, check out his appearance in Celine Dion’s documentary, "I Am: Celine Dion." Learn more about how a Certified AT can help you as part of whole-body care, prevention or recovery or find one in your neighbourhood on our website. Stay up to date with CATA by following us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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