For the past two weeks, Marcus, our sports rehabilitation therapist, has been in Poland assisting the England U20 Men's Lacrosse team as they compete in the European Championship. What he says about his experience is as follows:
Working with these "young lions" for the past eight months has seen me travelling to Burnley on weekends and residentials to help the boys who have had injuries from club lacrosse, university games, overtraining, or injuries sustained during practice. We had twenty-two young lacrosse players competing for the U20 Men's European championships after all that preparation.
The months of training with these athletes included contact drills, incessant passing and catching drills, and fitness tests. both in-person and virtual rehabilitation sessions via our messaging app. The "young lions" took second place in the tournament's end.
The coaching staff's extensive experience as international lacrosse players who have represented England in the past opened my eyes to the discipline of professional sport. The hours upon hours of communication and planning that must be done in preparation for the following day. However, we do it to ultimately witness the outcomes. I collaborated with a physiotherapist during this competition who has experience playing lacrosse internationally and is currently pursuing a PhD in lacrosse injuries. Together, we made sure that on match day, all the players were available. In order to facilitate this, we set aside times during the evening following the game, or before the game if it was in the evening, for players to come in and receive treatment. Furthermore, when we first started eight months ago, we made sure that our athletes completed a "RAMP" warm-up, a proper cool-down that included both static and dynamic stretching, and an ice bath to cap it all off. By doing this, coaches can make sure that players are ready for game day and that they have fully recovered to perform at the same level the next day. This exercise regimen was essential to keeping our players healthy.
As a sports therapist in Poland, my job was to ensure that the lads stayed cool and well hydrated during the games. As the temperature rose to 30°C, hydration pills were added to bottles to prevent cramps and make sure the muscles were getting enough nutrition. Once more, cold flannels and gloves are placed around players' necks to lower the risk of heat exhaustion or stroke. After that, I oversaw any players who needed to leave the pitch for taping, a brief evaluation or the magic cold spray. I concluded the games by giving the players protein shakes to help them recover. It involved helping with weight check-ins and making sure they are properly hydrated both off the pitch and during downtime when they are back in the hotels.
I am grateful for this opportunity to work with everyone involved in this tournament and everything leading up to it. It was a great learning experience and hopefully the partnership will continue into the next season with the new U20 squad.
