
Our own Kristen Knightly, Catalyst Clinic Director, has been working with the United States Women’s National Soccer Team for over 3 years! With the 2016 Summer Olympic Games around the corner, we fancied it a perfect time time to check in with her about the experience. Here’s Kristen:
Hi everyone! I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the best female soccer players in the world for nearly 3 1/2 years. Working as part of a larger medical team, I’ve spent many hours performing movement screens and massage on the athletes, trying to keep them performing optimally on, and off the field.
Last year, the lead up to World Cup consisted of nearly 5 months on the road before a 6 week journey to bringing home the The Cup. It was an experience like no other! As we stood together on the field, holding up the World Cup, I was flooded with emotions. I felt immense pride and admiration for every member of our USWNT. I took a moment to reflect on “The Team Behind The Team” – the support staff that sit in the background, making sure everything runs smoothly so that the athletes can walk out on the field and put on a show! It took every single member of our support staff to win the World Cup, and I am proud to be a part of it!
This year, we’re making similar preparations during the “Road to Rio”. We just won the inaugural She Believes Cup against England, France, and Germany, and the players are spending time prepping with their National Women’s Soccer League teams before coming back together in April. I’m looking forward to this next adventure, and will hopefully see the team bring home the gold medal again in August!
– Kristen Knightly, DPT, CMP, CAFS