The role of a Certified Athletic Therapist within a professional sports league is crucial for supporting each athlete and helping them perform at their best. Although a small number follow this career path, Certified ATs who take their position on the sidelines or behind the bench are committed to offering preventative, emergency and rehabilitative care throughout the season.
We spoke with two Certified ATs, Lisa Swallow and Marie Claire Costaguta, about their experiences working with professional athletes in the CFL.
Lisa now works with the Edmonton Elks, but admits that working in pro sports didn’t seem realistic when she was first starting out. Instead, she wanted to become a good clinician and use her skill set to help out local sports groups, teams and athletes. After working alongside other disciplines in her role at a rehab clinic, Lisa took the athletic therapy program at Mount Royal College (now Mount Royal University) with the goal of broadening her skill set, specifically with more orthopedic-related assessment and treatment skills. The additional training in on-field injuries would also offer her more of an opportunity to work beyond the clinical setting, leading to her role with the CFL.
Marie Claire was introduced to athletic therapy by a childhood friend and head athletic therapist at the University of Ottawa, Chrissy McPhee, and certified in 2016. After completing an internship as a student, she landed her first job as an assistant with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. “Being tasked with making decisions that keep them safe and healthy is something I take very seriously,” Marie Claire said. She was drawn towards a pro league for a daily mixture of field and clinic work, as well as the ability to work with amazing medical and fitness experts. Being a part of the celebration and history of football in Canada and travelling with the team was also rewarding.
Working as a Certified AT with a pro sports team is very similar to working with people in a clinic. “Professional football players are just people,” Lisa said, just like people who are on workers’ compensation or have a car accident or hurt themselves playing pickleball. “Pro athletes have human bodies…and the same human struggles we all do when we are faced with life challenges.” This approach also influences Lisa’s mindset in her work, that she can’t want the rehab more for the athlete than they do. This helps her to understand the athlete and their needs and wants, which in turn builds trust and rapport for a more fulfilling working relationship.
It can be a lot like running a business too, Marie Claire shared, likening it to a Certified AT operating a clinical practice. As a team’s Head Athletic Therapist, there is an added layer of responsibility with overseeing a medical team supporting over 70 athletes and communicating with associations, other departments and outside contacts, all in the pursuit of keeping the team at the top of their game.
Volunteering and sports medicine experience can help in determining if a career in pro sports is the right fit. “Working with rec leagues, weekend tournaments or training camps can build up skill sets and confidence,” Marie Claire said, while providing an idea of how demanding working in pro sports can be. Lisa’s own experience of working in clinics treating various injuries and populations of people, taking a long list of post-graduate continuing education courses, and a mix of volunteer and paid work for various local sports groups, teams and events helped her become ready for work in pro sports.
The welfare of athletes remains paramount in an athletic therapist role with a pro league, especially throughout a lengthy season with high expectations for performance. It’s where Lisa found her biggest challenge: accepting that you can’t do the therapy for the athlete. “It is their injury, their process,” Lisa shared. “As the Certified AT, I believe we are there to provide the tools and the framework for the athlete to own their recovery.”
For Marie Claire, the pride of working in pro sports was personal. Coming from Italy, her father didn’t know anything about football before she started working for the REDBLACKS — but then he started watching every game, in part to see if he could spy me on the sidelines. She lost her father to cancer at the end of 2022, but remembers he was proud that she had found something she loved doing and says that is the most rewarding experience of her career.
“We all take our own path,” Lisa said. “It has to be the path that works for you and who you are.” Lisa’s own road to pro sports didn’t have shortcuts, allowing her time to grow personally and professionally, and finally taking to the sidelines with the experience and additional training that would make her successful.
The working partnership between a Certified AT and a professional athlete has its challenges, but it is beneficial for everyone when it works. Want to learn more about work in the CFL? Read our interview with Tristian Castonguay, Certified AT and Head Athletic Therapist of the Montreal Alouettes.
Interested in learning how a Certified AT can help you in your wellness journey? Find one in your neighbourhood on our website. Make sure to stay up to date with CATA by following us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn!