Why I gave up my career in health to pursue the world of social sports.
March 29, 2021 - 3 years ago
With the autumn season quickly approaching, I realize that I haven’t had a chance to properly introduce myself! My name is Lindsay. I’m the General Manager for Urban Rec here in the Gong, but I prefer the title of Fun Facilitator! :-) My goal is that the night(s) you play with us is the most spectacular part of your week! I want to provide a space where you smile, laugh, sweat, make friends, play sport, trying something new (or return to something old) and HAVE FUN! With that, I wanna tell you a story…
Certified Athletic Trainer. Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach. Personal Trainer. Fitness Instructor. Sports Trainer. Functional Movement Specialist. Coach. These are all the professional hats I’ve worn throughout my life, and all of of them have blessed me with the opportunity to observe the raw emotion, universal language, genuine interaction and influential power sports can have in bringing people together from all walks of life, regardless of circumstance.
As a former athlete, coaches would always preach about hard work, dedication, perseverance, teamwork, diligence, blood, sweat, tears, et cetera, et cetera. All of that is valid and true, but ultimately, for me, all of those cliché quotes, pump-up speeches and motivational vibes boil down to the simple fact that:
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair…it laughs in the face of all kinds of discrimination.”
~ Nelson Mandela
After working with collegiate, semi-professional and professional athletes for about 5 years at the University of British Columbia, BC Hockey, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Florida International University, I chose to leave the world of high performance sport and enter the clinical setting of Athletic Training (scope of practice of sports physio for all you Aussies...) by helping to open a comprehensive fitness, strength and conditioning and active sports rehabilitation clinic in Grenada, West Indies. I was excited to start something from scratch, develop my clinical proficiencies and contribute a skill set to a community that previously did not have access to it. I quickly realized that, while I was experiencing a huge amount of professional growth in the process of building a business, I was craving more.
My spirit yearned for the competitive environment of sports. My mind craved the dynamic, intense, need-to-be-quick-on-your-feet mentality and fast pace that working with teams of upwards of 100 players required. My body missed the long days, sleepness nights and physical demand of Athletic Training and Strength and Conditioning. But mostly, working in a clinical 1:1 setting with people paying high hourly rates and visiting 4- and 5-star resorts to do in-call rehabilitation or massage for overseas guests made me realize that, while there can be tons of money in the clinical setting and medical tourism, the 1:1 setting did not set my soul on fire in the way I thought it would.
That stated, I kept pushing along, focusing on building the business, acquiring patients and facilitating partnerships with high-stakes resorts, not realizing the personal toll it was taking on me, because I was simultaneously volunteering as a football (soccer) coach with the Jason Roberts Foundation (JRF), which provided me the connection to team sports that had become so deeply engrained in my identity. While coaching, I was also working with JRF to get a proposal accepted to become a Street Football Partner for the Homeless World Cup Program and send a team from Grenada to the annual Homeless World Cup (HWC) Tournament. The goal of HWC Street Football Partnerships worldwide is to deliver life-changing programs by providing at-risk and marginalized populations – whether that be homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, poverty, illiteracy, et cetera – a lifeline to regain hope and inspire change in their lives. By using football as its platform, HWC epitomizes the power of sport. It is impossible to list, and no words can describe, all of the memorable moments I experienced during the 2015 HWC in Amsterdam and the global impact of the program.
Midway through the week at HWC, my cheeks hurts from laughing and smiling, and my eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and the endless tears from stories I’d heard from players of how HWC has changed their lives. My soul was inspired again. So, as I’ve done my whole life, I trusted my intuition and decided I needed to leave the financial security that would potentially come from working in a clinical setting to pursue what sets my soul on fire – facilitating positive change through sport by working with teams, outreach programs and large-scale events.
So why did I leave my career in health to pursue the world of social sports? I am a deep believer that everyone needs sport. That doesn’t mean people have to strive to go professional or be the best. It simply means that everyone needs a space where they can – for a second, minute, day or year – experience the positive physical, emotional and mental impact of feeling safe, inspired, connected and hopeful. Sports give us that. Sports give us that rare thing that can motivate you on sunshine-filled days, comfort you in a tumultuous storm, elevate you, challenge you and believe in you, even when you may not believe in yourself. Sports welcome people with open arms, reminding us connections can extend beyond race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. Sports remind us to embrace our child-like spirit to play, try something new, challenge ourselves, smile, laugh and have fun. Sports remind us that, while we do not all speak the same language through the words rolling off our tongues, we all speak the same language of on the pitch, court, track or venue. Sports remind us that on the pitch, we are all equal, and we are strongest when we harness the power of our differences to change the world.
I hope that find a space within Urban Rec that sparks a childlike energy to play and have fun. I hope we provide you an outlet for the potentially boring day-to-day to try something a lil’ different. I hope we give you an opportunity through social sport to feel connected. <3 x
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