We recently had the pleasure to catch up with Aisha Visram, the Head Athletic Trainer and Strength Conditioning Coach for the Adirondack Thunder. Now on her third season with the team, read on to learn more about what inspired her to get into the field, what a typical day with the Thunder is like, and some advice for anyone looking to become an athletic trainer.
On Hockey Life
I’m from Toronto, and like all other stereotypical Canadians, I watched Hockey Night in Canada every weekend, cheering on the Toronto Maple Leafs. My brother and I both started playing rec hockey when we were young and our love for the game grew from there. I do still cheer for the Leafs – they’ll always be my team.
On Becoming an Athletic Trainer
What inspired you to enter the realm of healthcare?
My favorite subjects in school were the sciences - I liked biology and kinesiology. I wanted to help people and to feel like I was contributing to something. But I didn’t really know much about sports medicine or athletic training until high school. I remember the exact moment when I knew what I wanted to do - I was watching a Leafs game, and one of the players got hurt during play and stayed down. I had never really paid attention to what the people behind the bench do before. The camera followed the athletic trainer as they ran out on to the ice to attend to the player, showed them helping the player up, and then followed them coming back to the bench together. And I just thought that looked like the coolest job ever! After looking into it, it all added up - athletic training was the perfect combination of my love for sport and my interest in healthcare and kinesiology.
My parents are both pharmacists and my mom has a degree in nutrition as well, so a passion for science and healthcare is something I share with them.
Where did you study and train?
I did my undergraduate degree in Canada at the University of Guelph in Human Kinetics, and then an Advanced Certificate in Athletic Therapy at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. One of the things that I like most about athletic training is the hands-on aspect…but I love learning and really wanted the experience of conducting research. I got my Masters of Science degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Exercise Psychology and did my thesis on mental toughness. Throughout all of this I did various internships - trained at clinics, covered various sports, and worked with different teams. Hockey was always my first love though – my dream from the start was to work in professional hockey. After graduating from UMass I was fortunate enough to get a job in hockey right away – I started at St Lawrence University working with Womens Hockey along with some other sports, and then transitioned to working with Mens Hockey. But again – my goal was always professional hockey, and when I got the opportunity to move up and join the Thunder I was thrilled!
Any mentors that helped you along the way?
I’ve been very lucky to have had great supervisors and mentors all through school and early in my professional career. There are too many to name, but all were instrumental in helping guide me along the way.
What do you love the most about being an Athletic Trainer?
Being able to help athletes play the game they love safely and making a difference in people’s lives every day. It’s a very rewarding and challenging position – there’s definitely a routine but every day is different, and it really keeps you on your toes, which I find exciting. The team aspect is also really great - you get depended on for a lot, and it’s very satisfying to know that you contribute to the success of the group. Athletic training is constantly evolving, there’s always something to learn – new treatment techniques, nutrition and diet recommendations are always changing – lifelong learning is important to be good at your job.
On Working with the Thunder
What do you enjoy most about being the team's athletic trainer? How's it been going?
The organization here as a whole is amazing – there are a lot of hard working, committed people doing whatever they can to keep hockey in Glens Falls. Everyone has a different role, but we all work hard to do our part to give the team the best chance to succeed. The staff has always focused on bringing in great hockey players that are also good people – team culture is very important to us and that is one of the best aspects of working with the Thunder. I have great support on the medical side as well - we have great team physicians and other healthcare providers that are involved in maintaining the health and wellness of our players. It’s great to be surrounded by such wonderful people who genuinely care about them as people, not just as athletes.
Are there any particular challenges that come with the role?
Sometimes it’s challenging to be both the athletic trainer and strength coach – it can be a little overwhelming some days if there are a lot of injuries and treatments to do, and then trying to find time to plan the workouts for the team. But I have great interns and helpers who do whatever they can to take some tasks off my plate so I can focus on the important stuff. Our players are also awesome – they understand that everyone in our organization wears many hats, and they are great about being patient and letting you prioritize what needs to be done first.
The travel in this league can also be very exhausting at times. We all do our best to stay positive and balance work and rest but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t challenging! Lots of late nights and naps on the bus when we can.
We understand that you're one of two female athletic trainers in the ECHL. We think that's awesome! What are your thoughts on that?
Tara Guilliland-Smith with Brampton and I are the 2 female athletic trainers in our league. While it still may not be a common thing to see female athletic trainers working with mens professional teams, it’s been really positive to see female Athletic Trainers in the other big sporting leagues recently –the NFL, MLB and NBA all have teams that have had female Athletic Trainers on staff. The number of women getting into athletic training now outnumbers men, so things will have to change based solely on the math. As cliché as it may sound, I think you just have to do the work - work hard, do your job well, and show that women can do just as great a job as men can. That’s the only way for us to prove that we belong and open doors for other women to get opportunities as well.
I’ve been very fortunate – every team and organization that I have worked with has treated me just like any staff member regardless of gender. There are some awkward situations that arise, but we’re all professionals and when the players trust you and know you’re going to do the right thing by them I don’t think they really care what gender you are – they just want someone who does a good job, knows their stuff, and cares.
What are some of the most frequent injuries that you encounter?
Tons of contusions from blocking shots and body contact. We see a lot of lacerations as well. Shoulders, hips, and wrists are very common areas for hockey injuries. It’s a long season and a physical league, so there are a lot of wear and tear type injuries that build up over time too.
Any advice you would offer anyone aspiring to be an athletic trainer?
Always be prepared- you’ll save yourself a lot of angst if you make sure you have what you need, and appearing efficient just makes you look good.
Regardless of what sport you think you want to work in, work as many different sports as you can when you’re a student. You’ll see a variety of different injuries and that makes you a more well-rounded healthcare professional.
Sometimes in this role you have to make difficult decisions that aren’t always easy to make, and you can’t please everyone. But you’ll never regret doing the right thing. If you can look at yourself in the mirror each night and know you did what was best for your athletes – you’re on the right track.
It’s also really important to remember that your needs matter too – those of us that spend our lives caring for others need to remember that. I always start my day with a workout before the players arrive – when things get challenging and you get pulled in different directions, it’s a good feeling to know that you did something for yourself first.
On a Typical Day with the Thunder
A typical practice or home game day for me starts pretty early. I’m usually the first one to get to the arena around 6:30am so I can get a workout in before our staff meeting at 7:30am. The coaches, equipment manager Alex Mann and I meet most days to go over the injury report, the line ups, roadtrips – basically just making sure the staff is on the same page. After that, I spend my time getting ready for practice and the day before the players arrive – I put workouts on the board for the team, prepare for treatments, set the bench up for practice. I have interns that help us with the preparations as well. If we are hosting a visiting team, Alex and I will get their locker rooms set up and make sure they have all the supplies they need. I’ll do treatments both before and after practice depending on what injuries we have going on and where players are at in their recovery. During practice you’ll find me on the bench making sure everyone is safe. After practice I’ll wrap up treatments, check in with our physicians and provide any updates they may need, set up any appointments for players that need to be made, injury documenting and workers compensation updates, and then clean-up for the next day.
If it’s a gameday, we’ll take a break for a couple of hours and come back in the afternoon for another round of set up and treatments before the game. I’m on the bench for warms ups and during the game to take care of any injuries that occur, and during intermissions we stay ready for anything the players may need.
On the road, the routine can change a lot depending on our travel schedule – there’s less set up and more heavy lifting. But for me, it still centers around treatments and making sure the players get what they need to be ready for the game.
On Glens Falls
Glens Falls and the surrounding areas are a really great place to live. The downtown Glens Falls area isn’t overwhelming but has plenty of restaurants and coffee shops and bars – it’s not difficult to find fun things to do. I really enjoy Craft on 9 and Farmacy, and The Bullpen is one of our go-to spots for happy hour or after game drinks.
In the late summer and fall before the season starts we go up to Lake George quite a bit. I really enjoy hiking and this area is great for that – I’ve done most of the easy to moderate trails and the views of the lake and mountains are amazing. Kayaking in this area is also great!
