A Carleton athletic therapist has been added to the medical staff for the Canadian women’s hockey team at the 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain from Feb. 4-14.
Nadine Smith, Carleton’s head athletic therapist, was announced as an athletic therapist by Canadian Interuniversity Sport administration.
The Winter Universiade is coordinated by the Féderation internationale du sport universitaire (FISU) and held every two years. It is the world’s largest multi-sports competition for student athletes, drawing participants from over 50 countries, according to the FISU website.
Smith said she is excited to be selected for the position.
“There are many qualified people that apply to these opportunities so to be chosen out of a large pool, is an honour,” she said in an email.
This will mark Smith’s second appearance at the Winter Universiade, as she also assisted the Canadian team en route to a gold-medal finish at the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China.
Smith said she is interested in seeing how hockey is received in Spain compared to how it was in China—where the gold medal game between Canada and the hosts from China played in front of a sold-out crowd.
“In China, they had a huge following,” Smith said. “I am hoping that the fans will as excited to watch as they were in China.”
Smith will be working exclusively with the women’s hockey team, and said she is responsible for evaluating and treating the athletes’ injuries in order for them to compete.
Smith has worked at Carleton University for 11 years, according to Bruce Marshall, manager of Health and Wellness Resources at Carleton.
Jennifer Brenning, director of Recreation and Athletics, said the Universiade will be a great experience for Smith.
“It’s a great learning experience for an athletic therapist to work at such a high level,” Brenning said.
Smith said her greatest hope for the trip is to enjoy herself while also learning in the process.
“This is an opportunity to gain more experience in my field and make myself a better athletic therapist,” she said.
