Friday, March 23, 2012

Adventures at the McGill Sports Medicine Clinic

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           Getting injured is never fun, but it is a reality that every athlete must deal with at some point. Whether it’s a torn ACL, shin splints, a twisted ankle or a bruised baby toe, an injury can set you back in your sport by interfering with training and competition. As a soccer player and track athlete competing at a high level, I had my fair share of tendonitis, knee problems and shin splints to deal with. As aggravating as those problems were, when I visited the McGill sports medicine clinic last Thursday I found myself wishing that I was going to see a physiotherapist about IT band pain or a sore back. While these injuries are certainly debilitating and can majorly disrupt a training regime, at least they do not interfere with the rest of your life as profoundly as does a concussion.
                I hit my head for the fourth time in 6 months while playing soccer at the beginning of March. At the time, I was completely symptom-free and ready to go. I was still careful not to head the ball and did not play as aggressively as I normally would, but I felt almost completely normal in sports and at school. Somehow, I managed to knock heads with a girl on the opposing team: not hard, but apparently enough to shake up the brain once again. All of my symptoms returned and I found myself unable to get out of bed for two weeks.
               I decided that my best bet in this situation was a trip to the McGill Sports Medecine Clinic to see a concussion specialist. I was lucky enough to get an appointment with Dr. Delaney, a man who is widely recognize for his contributions to this field. The first step of the appointment was taking the “IMPACT” test, a series of reaction-time, memory and spatial awareness tasks designed to make sure that my brain still exists. After toiling over that for a while and getting a massive headache, I finally got to meet with Dr. Delaney to discuss the test results and get his opinion on the best route to take in terms of recovery.
               The good news is that I still have a brain!! And it appears to be working reasonably well for most cognitive functions. The bad news is that I am experiencing 21/22 concussion symptoms quite intensely on a regular basis. Dr. Delaney prescribed no physical activity of any kind for a month, no more than an hour at a time on the computer, avoiding loud environments, avoiding fluorescent lights, no alcohol and resting as much as possible. Basically, I need to completely drop the “university lifestyle” as most of us know it.
                As an athlete, being told that you cannot do your sport for an extended period of time is always devastating news. As a student, being told that you have to drastically change your lifestyle in order to recover from an injury is a tough pill to swallow. Missing out on fun social activities in favor of resting in a dark room can be quite depressing, to say the least. However, an important part of recovering from any injury is staying positive and focusing on what you can do rather than on what you can't do. I'm trying to take my own advice and stay as positive as possible in a difficult situation.

Looks like my hour of screen time is up!
See you next week!

- Martlet Girl 


Thursday, March 15, 2012

CIS Championships From My Couch

Fans of the Martlets and Redmen: it's CIS national championship season! This winter, McGill teams qualified for the competition in a number of sports, including track and field, men's and women's hockey, women's basketball and women's volleyball. Although making a trek out to Winnipeg, Edmonton or Calgary to watch your favourite team play might not be realistic for most students, diehard fans will be happy to know that there is another option. As I discovered last weekend, if you have a computer and a comfortable couch, watching CIS action from home can be a great alternative to enjoying the live action.

While at home in Chelsea visiting my family, I enjoyed the CIS Women's Hockey Tournament which took place last weekend at the University of Alberta. With a sister who has been recruited to join the U of A hockey team next year and a cousin who plays for the Laurier Golden Hawks, my family had a lot of interest in the outcome of the competition. On top of that, I love to watch CIS women's hockey because it truly showcases the best talent in the world in this sport. Case in point: Hayley Wickenheiser herself plays for the University of Calgary Dinos!!!! If you've been living under a rock for the past 20 years, Wickenheiser has been a member of the Canadian National Team since she was 15 years old, has played men's professional hockey in Finland and has won 4 Olympic medals (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010). She has been a pioneer for women's hockey and has inspired a generation of girls to get involved in the sport. To have Hayley playing in the CIS against the Martlets is basically the equivalent of having a younger Wayne Gretzky step out onto the ice to play against the Redmen! Inspiring, but also extremely intimidating.

It's safe to say then that the Martlets were pretty unlucky when they were matched against the Dinos in their first game of the tournament. It was a very even matchup, but unfortunately the outcome was a 0-1 loss for McGill. That goal ended up being the only one that the Martlets conceded in the entire competition. Still, because of this loss to the Calgary, the McGill team failed to win their pool and were forced to play for bronze against the Laurier Golden Hawks. I had a tough time deciding who to cheer for (family loyalty or school pride?), but regardless of my allegiance the game turned out to be a 4-0 blowout in favour of the Martlets. In the final, Universite de Montreal faced off against Calgary and ended up being pummelled 5-1 in a game that was never close. Because of the bizzare tournament format, the true "championship final" probably took place during the second game when Calgary edged out McGill by a narrow margin.

If you missed out on all of this action last weekend, do not worry. There is still a chance to see McGill teams in CIS competitions coming up very soon. Men's hockey, currently seeded in second place, starts their tournament on March 22nd. To stream the game live, click on this link. Women's basketball, seeded 7th in the country, is also going for Gold this weekend. They start their tournament on March 17th. Click here for more information and to watch the game live. 

Take a study break, find a comfortable seat and enjoy a game or two! 
Go Red Go! 

- Martlet Girl 

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Nordic Skiing in the City

When I got back to Montreal last Sunday night after spending my Reading Break at home in Chelsea, I felt the usual sadness that comes with re-entering the city. The 25cm of gorgeous, sparkling, whiter-than-white snow that we had received over the weekend had been transformed by the city streets into a slushy, wet, grey annoyance. As I walked back to McGill from the greyhound station, getting splattered with slush from speeding drivers and already missing the ability to see the stars, I began to plan how to make the best of the situation.

Of course, I immediately thought of playing hockey, which I did earlier in the week at a new rink I had never been to before. As always, it was an amazing time and it felt great to be outside for a few hours. As the weekend approached and the temperature began to rise, I realized that outdoor hockey would no longer be an option. After dealing with the minor deprerssion that accompanied this realization, I began to consider alternative ways of spending my time and energy. Finally, it dawned on me: it was time to try something I had been meaning to do during each of the three winters I have spent in Montreal, but had never gotten around to before.

My adventure began at the Currie gym, where I rented my equipment. This in itself was a bit of a hassle because apparently you have to purchase the rental at client services before picking up the skis, boots and poles at the equipment desk. Anyways, after buying a rec activities card, returning said card, visiting client services and the equipment desk twice, and finding proper skis and boots that didn't look they were about to fall apart, I was ready to go!

On Friday, conditions were absolutely perfect. The temperature was hovering around zero degrees, the snow was gliding and my wax was working well. Although I know the trails of Mont Royal from my running excursions, it quickly became clear that when on skis or snowshoes, there are many other options just off of the main path. I found myself following reasonably well-marked trails through the woods in all parts of the park. Trail 2, located at the top of the mountain, was particularly fun. It snaked through the woods in a loop and featuring lots of exciting ups and downs. At some points along the trail I actually found myself completely alone, and almost forgot for a moment that I was in fact at the heart of a major metropolis. Since this was exactly the feeling I had hoped to find, I was more than happy with my experience. When I finished my ski and began walking home with a huge smile on my face, I wondered to myself why in the world I had not cross-country skied on the mountain before!

Although there might not be many days of winter left, I would highly recommend the Mount Royal cross-country experience. You can rent skis from the Currie gym for as little as $10, and they do function as they should, Martlet Girl guarantee! Take a study break McGill, and get outside!

See you on the trails,
-Martlet Girl