Students get real massage experience on pro athletes - East Valley Tribune

[massage]

By: Paul Maryniak, Tribune Staff Writer | Published on Jul 29, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. | Photo: Will Powers


Two-time Arena Football League MVP Nick Davila, Arizona Rattlers starting quarterback, has enjoyed plenty of success on the field. He’s won three ArenaBowl Championships since joining the team in 2010.

However, it’s the off-field success accompanied by a partnership with Carrington College that keeps him and his teammates fresh throughout the season and into their playoffs.

“It has been a huge help, benefited all of us and our bodies,” said Davila, who comes into Carrington College’s Mesa campus every Monday after the game to get massaged and stretched from the physical therapy technology students. “They do a great job of getting us ready to perform at our top abilities every night.”

For 10 years, the Rattlers and Carrington College have given students hands-on experience working with professional athletes.

Including the visits every Monday, students are also given an opportunity to work with the players every Thursday at the Rattlers training facility in Mesa.

From these real-world experiences with the athletes, the students have benefited tremendously.

“These guys have been around a lot. They have had a variety of different professionals working on them, so their feedback is valuable,” said Dr. Kelly King, Dean of Academic Affairs at Carrington College. “I think it is a win-win because the athletes get treatment, get to teach and give back to the community. The students also get to learn from the experience.”

While the athletes get a chance to teach the students during the massages, most of the students work hard to understand the techniques before each week while in the classroom.

“We can definitely tell that they are being taught well and are learning as well,” said Jeremy Kellem, defensive back for the Rattlers. “They have been studying and know their terms. I know they are doing a great job.”

Many of the physical therapy students at Carrington College are given the opportunity to do their externship rotations with the team, assisting the head athletic trainer. They also have the chance to work with Phoenix Mercury players.

With all of these chances to work with professional athletes, it gives the students the chance to watch their hard work pay off.

“I like to see how what I do affects them in their future performances. Do they see improvements, are they playing better? That’s what I really look for,” said Richard Abisia, one of the several physical therapy students at Carrington College. “If they are, then I did my job.”

The students say they don’t feel any extra pressure working with high-profile athletes.

“In my eyes, it is just someone who is in need of help. I figure I will do it the best way I can,” Abisia said.

– Reach Shane DeGrote at [email protected].

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