Let’s face it, hockey is a physically punishing sport and it’s demands on the body can sometimes push the limits of human acceptance and pain tolerance. 

 

The hockey player pain threshold is higher than most other people.  They endure punishing blows and “body bends” that might put most of us on a stretcher.

 

For the players, being in the absolute top shape helps avoid injuries to a certain extent, but there are times that no amount of training can deter an injury.  

 

It’s just a fact of the game and the laws of physics.

 

When injuries occur to Kemptville 73s players, Athletic Therapist, Ashley Hill enters the picture. 

 

There are a lot of misconceptions about the role of an athletic therapist. 

 

Yes, they do tape sore joints. 

 

No, they won’t create a workout program or be a strength coach for you. 

 

Yes, they do have a specialized education to do their job.

 

No, they don’t fix equipment or fill water bottles.

 

Athletic Therapists are highly qualified healthcare professionals that are trained in preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries that result from sports or physical activity.

 

Ashley Hill, 26, was born and raised in Kemptville.

 

“There’s something about Kemptville that I’ve always loved”. “Even though I’ve left a few times, I’ve always come back because this is home.”

 

Home feels different.

 

They're real life there. They work hard and love you harder.

 

“This is also where all my entire family are and they mean the world to me,” said Hill.  “My Mom and Dad are my biggest role models.  They’re just the best people in the whole world that have taught me to work hard and go after what I wanted.”

 

As Hill explains, “I grew up on a farm, my Dad made me work hard everyday.”

 

A work ethic that still continues today, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“I may be busy working hard to achieve my goals, but I really appreciate the time that I get to spend with all of them, whether or not that means eating dinner or just getting together it means something to me.”

 

Nope, home just feels different.

 

Being away from home gives us a much better appreciation of our roots and Kemptville will always be home to Ashley Hill.

 

While away studying for her Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences in Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College in Toronto, she had to complete her clinical hours and to do this she chose to return home.  She knew she want to do her placement at Kemptville Physiotherapy with Carrie Smith.

 

“Carrie Smith is my mentor,” declared Hill. “She’s one of the strongest women in my business world, she’s worked with Team Canada and has taught me so much. We’ve got a great relationship.”

 

As Smith recalled, “I initially had her as a student, she had to do her clinical hours with me and my very first thought after spending a little bit of time with her was, I need to find a spot for her because she has exactly the right kind of personality you want in this kind of profession.”

 

“Ashley is awesome!” gushed Smith. “She keeps up with continuing education and she’s excellent at what she does.  She’s a very positive person and if you’re dealing with an injury you want a positive person dealing with you not a negative person dealing with you.”

 

“Believe it or not,” Hill continued.  “When I was younger I was really very shy, but I knew I wanted to help people.” 

 

“Carrie came to me when I was working with her and said we’ve got the 73’s contract and you’re the therapist.” recalled Hill. “I was excited and nervous all at once. When I was growing up, there were Kemptville 73’s in my high school so it was pretty cool to now be looking after the team. Heck even my Dad played for the 73’s back when they were Jr “B”.  I’ve loved it since day one.”

 

Fast forward a few years, and Hill became the owner of Podium Sports located in Brockville, Ontario.  Ownership of the clinic was calculated risk, but one the young entrepreneur felt was a challenge and risk she was willing to take.

 

“I’ve enjoyed starting my own business,” said Hill.  “I’ve done a lot of research and I learned to study the people that I want to be like.  I had no problem asking them questions or ask to meet with them.”

 

Let’s be clear here, Podium Sports is not your typical “U bend em - We mend em” kind of clinic. 

 

From the moment you walk through the door, you get the friendly smiles and warm greetings that most people reserve only for family members. 

 

Starting with the receptionists all the way to the diverse team of care providers, everyone wants to help you get better.  This interdisciplinary team delivers specialized care ensures that patients get exactly what they need, when they need it.

 

“We are not a revolving door, we are here to care about our clients,” notes Hill. “People out there are looking for help”. 

 

In addition to the variety of care providers, there’s leading edge rehabilitation technology machines that are intended to augment the human care and return patients to full strength and function in the fastest possible recovery time.

 

One visit to Podium Sports and it’s a quick reminder that the first four letters in the word health are heal.

 

“We have a great team here,” said Hill. “There are 14 people and we all get along and support each other and motivate each other.  You can see it when we have staff meetings and everyone is throwing out ideas.”

 

“I want to come to work every day and have fun and I want to make sure everyone else is having fun and enjoys coming to work,” said Hill. “It’s where I’m supposed to be. It’s what I’m meant to do.  It just feels right.”

 

There are countless folks all over that go to work and come home exhausted everyday working at a job only because it pays their bills.  It’s refreshing to find someone that makes a living following their passion.

 

“I’ve loved every step I’ve taken to get to where I am now.”

 

Due to the fact that her clinic is in Brockville and with the close relationship with Kemptville Physiotherapy, when a player gets hurt Hill will do the immediate care.  The follow-up care and rehabilitation will be done at Kemptville Physiotherapy. 

 

“We always communicate to make sure that the player is getting the right treatment and making progress,” explained Hill. “I see them immediately after the injury, but it’s someone else treating them.”

 

With this level of communication there is tremendous continuity of care and follow-up for the players.

 

Players must complete a practice with full contact to determine readiness, including strength and mobility of the injured area.  If there’s any doubt, players are not cleared are given more time to heal.

 

“Ultimately it’s me that has to clear them to come back to play” said Hill.

 

“She’s very knowledgeable and we’re very fortunate to have her,” said Head Coach Ron Tugnutt. “I think the parents that have kids on our team can rest assured that they are being well taken care of.”

 

My first encounter with Ashley Hill showed me she was determined to help people, including someone she barely knew.

 

We stood in the dressing room hallway and she looked at me and said “You’re standing crooked.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve got back problems,” I said. “My sacroiliac joint is messed up.”

 

“Butt crunches,” she quickly replied. 

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“It’ll help you flex the muscles around the affected part of your back,” she clarified. “It’s not going to fix it, but will help you get better.”  She continued to explain the physiology involved, as I remained focused on the “butt crunches” comment.

 

As we discussed my lack of mobility and poor stature, one thing was clear, this girl knew her stuff.  More importantly, she wanted to make sure I understood what she was saying.

 

For the rest of the weekend every time she saw me, she would simply utter the words “Butt crunches”.

 

She said it so many times to me that I thought she had assigned me some kind of nickname like they do in the south.  You know like “Sweetie” or “Honey”.  Somehow I received the moniker “Butt crunches”

 

Watching her interact with the players, I could easily be forgiven for thinking she was messing with me.  But on the other hand I also saw the care she provided to the players that needed it.

 

For the players of the 73s, she talks to them like she’s one of the guys while still maintaining her professionalism.

 

“She calls it as she see’s it and I think that’s part of the reason we like her so much,” said 73’s player Jake Gaudet.

 

“She’s able to take it and give it and that just adds to her persona in the dressing room,” said Gaudet. “We’re all really glad we have her there.”

 

“I think having a female trainer on the team brings a different element to the team,” explained Gaudet.  “23 guys on the team and she’s kind of like the Mom on the team taking care of us and making sure we’re healthy and ready to play.”

 

For Hill, being a female in a male dominated area is nothing new to her.

 

“The male dominance of the sport doesn’t intimidate me at all,” said Hill. “I’ve grown up in male dominated areas like farming communities so you learn how to fit in. My Dad is my best friend and he treated me like his oldest boy so I’m completely used to that.” 

 

She takes her professionalism very seriously and engages everyone around her with her humour and positive demeanour.

 

It must work. They trust her.

 

Players approach her with their bravado set aside, and ask quietly “Can you take a look at my shoulder?”  or “Ash, my back is bugging me”.

 

To each of them, she stops, smiles and gives them her full attention.

 

Rookies get the same “red carpet” treatment as the veterans do.  Nothing is too big or small. It’s all important to her.

 

Prior to each game, a few players visit the training room to have aching joints wrapped or sore muscles stretched.

 

She sees a lot of bad injuries, but she also helps with the little nagging injuries.  If not treated right, those little nags can translate into a bad injury.

 

When they hurt they continue to play.  When they get injured they have to stop.

 

In a sport that prizes toughness, admitting to pain does not come naturally.  And many players feel they can’t afford to be sidelined by injury; they depend on the games to earn the opportunity to continue playing hockey at the collegiate level.

 

Some players lie about their symptoms to be able to keep playing. But she sees through them for the most part.

 

“Not recognizing spinals and concussions are my biggest fear,” cautioned Hill.  “Sometimes it’s better safe than sorry and I’ve said to people I’m not taking the risk that someone gets injured worse or has a lifetime injury cause I screwed up.  I’m a risk taker in life, but not when it comes to the care I provide.”

 

Even with all the safety equipment the players wear, the very nature of the game means injuries will happen.

 

“They usually make it back to the bench or to the dressing room and it’s really because of how fit they are,” said Hill. “Having said that, the injuries they have when I do see them are usually very severe.” 

 

“These guys are just plain tough” proclaimed Hill.

 

In the past, in all sports, concussions were treated as something that happened and you shook it off and went on.  A player simply “got their bell rung” or got a “bump on the noggin”. 

 

My first involvement with a concussion happened many years ago.  It involved a dirt bike, a milk crate, my Mom’s ironing board and a miscalculation. 

 

Math never was one of my strong points.

 

I’m not sure how long I was out for, but apparently it was long enough for my nine year-old friends to obtain a medical diploma and declare me fit to return to action.

 

As Tugnutt remembers, “Hockey old timers like me, when we’d get knocked in the head we just took some Tylenol and you kept on playing.” In hindsight for both of us, concussions were probably the more correct diagnosis. Our culture has changed so much as more is known about concussions.

 

“It seems like every year there’s a new protocol that’s a better way of taking care of concussions,” noted Tugnutt.  “It’s a very serious injury and it’s at the top of games missed for many teams and I think the hardest part is getting it diagnosed right, at the very beginning.”

 

Concussion testing for example determines the severity and healing process from a concussion.  It collects baseline cognitive data on each athlete. The tests assess balance, memory and reaction time. After a player suffers a concussion, trainers administer the tests again and compare the results. If the player fails, the team will stop him from competing.

 

Concussion testing for the 73’s, is completed by Kemptville Physiotherapy at the start of each hockey season. 

 

Helmet technology has also improved, as more information is known. Helmets, though, don’t prevent concussions, which result from the brain slamming against the inside of the skull after an athlete’s head comes to a sudden stop. But they do help prevent facial and other types of head trauma. 

 

The most serious potential consequence of repeated blows to the head is a rare degenerative disease known as CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Once thought to be limited to boxers, CTE has shown up in hockey players, football players, racecar drivers, and military veterans.  However, symptoms for CTE typically don’t show up until years after a person retires. 

 

Recently, a young rugby player named Rowan Stringer died at the age of 17 from Second Impact Syndrome after ignoring the symptoms from receiving two concussions in the same week. Her death led to the unanimous passing of “Rowan’s Law” in the province of Ontario legislature. A law that is intended to increase education & awareness surrounding concussion injuries.

 

Many players owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Hill for not only keeping them game ready, but also making the call to protect their future health from the punishing impact of the game, She has to negotiate the tricky territory between what a player wants to do and what his body can safely accomplish.

 

She evaluates their injuries and relates information back to them in terms they completely understand.  She checks and re-checks their comprehension to help them understand the healing process.

 

“It’s tough to not play so sometimes and it takes a bit of persuasion,” Gaudet said. “When Ash tells us you’re not good to go she means it and we place a high value on her opinion because of her knowledge and how good she is. We know she has our best interests at heart.  She’s also so good at explaining why we aren’t ready so there’s no confusion.”

 

“I’ve even called her in the summer away from hockey to pick her brain when I’ve had a few nagging injuries not related to hockey to see what I could do to help my recovery process.” recalled Gaudet.

 

Her skills and passion for the game have also grown.

 

“I love watching these guys play with so much heart and try,” said Hill. “It really does make them some of my most favourite athletes.  To see the love they have for the game and each other is just an amazing experience for me.” “My time with the 73s will be something that I will never forget.” 

 

She arrives early to each game hoping she won’t be needed but knowing at some point she will. 

 

She will be standing at the end of the bench, watching for the next player who needs her.

 

“The reason why I’ve been with the 73s for so long is because of Ron and Lisa, the staff and the players,” said Hill. “They make me excited to go there, I can’t wait for game days. The staff are close, and respect each other and they respect my decisions regarding players health and injuries.” 

 

“I’ve always dreamed of doing some thing like this, you know something with athletics” said Hill.

 

With the busy schedule she keeps and everything she has committed and dedicated her life to, there is only one statement that describes Ashley Hill. She has an unapologetic display of abnormal levels of caring for the health and well being of others.

 

Simply put, she’s a genuinely nice person that cares about others.

 

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to return to my “Butt crunches”.

(Kemptville 73s Insider)