The reality is it takes many, many people beyond the hockey coaches and players to keep the Air Force Falcons flying.Take another look behind the scenes at people who help make the Air Force hockey program go. This is part 2 of our interview with athletic trainer Erik Marsh.
Erik Marsh‘s work load eases up a bit in the offseason, but the longtime Air Force athletic trainer remains on full alert to monitor Falcons hockey players, especially those undergoing or recuperating from surgery.
Typically, players who require surgery have them after the season, but not this past season, when there was nothing typical about the intersection of Falcons and injuries.
“Everything happened so early that they’ve already had it,” Marsh says of his spring. “I’m finishing up rehabbing (rising senior Evan) Feno and (rising sophomore Shawn) Knowlton, and (rising junior Matt) Pulver is right in the middle of his rehab from his shoulder. I’m rehabbing, watching their training. As guys have nicks and little issues they come see me.”
That stands in contrast to the regular season, when Marsh’s schedule is packed every day.
“It’s way busier because they’re coming in from practice in greater volumes,” he says. “The guys that have a little nagging injury, they may wait a couple of days before they come and see me. During the season it’s way busier, plus you have to add the game and travel factors.”
A day in a trainer’s life
Marsh’s schedule is contingent on the hockey team’s. If it’s a practice day, business picks up for him after lunch time, when players begin to arrive at Cadet Arena.
“I’ll write down on the (locker room) board guys I expect to see because sometimes they forget,” he says. “They’ll come down and see me, I’ll do the treatments. I’ll talk to (assistant coaches) Joe (Doyle) and Andy (Berg) if anybody has an adjustment for practice.”
The team typically meets around 3 p.m. and practices after that until 5-5:30 p.m. If the team is lifting weights that day, Marsh will coordinate with strength coach Drew Bodette about players he needs to see. Quitting time is whenever all of the players needing treatment receive it, often into the evening.
Game days begin earlier because the team convenes for an 11 a.m. meeting. By this time Marsh has provided the coaching staff any updates he has on players’ statuses, which obviously factors into that night’s lineup.
“At the game, who knows what will happen, especially after this year,” Marsh says with no trace of sarcasm.
Post-game recovery is a crucial element, and Marsh and Bodette are the fulcrums of that for the Falcons.
“We do active recovery,” Marsh says. “After (head coach) Frank (Serratore) is done talking to them, they go see Drew and do stretching, rolling and get themselves ready for the the next day. They’ll come in and see me, do the cold tub for 10 minutes. I’ll look at any guys that are injured and then work up a report that I’ll give to Frank and Joe so they can make their adjustments to their lineup.”
So the next time you hear a coach say or read him quoted as saying, “I’ve got to wait for the report.” Or “I don’t know.” He’s more than likely telling the truth. Marsh says the post-game evaluation period can last an hour or longer, and often the team – and the player – have no idea how long his recovery might take until he wakes up the next morning.
Going on the road
Just as travel throws a equipment manager Robert Rush a curveball, Marsh, too, faces a set a challenges when Air Force’s hockey team takes to the air for a series.
Preparation for a trip begins early in the week for Marsh, who works in concert with Rush.
MORE:
Part 1 of Keeping the Falcons in one piece
Part 1 of Preparing the Falcons for battle
Keeping the Falcons well equipped
“I have a couple of extra bags I need sent out. Robert sends them out to the arena,” Marsh says. “We’ve got a recovery bag for Friday and what I call a crutch bag. It has braces and boots in case something happens. I pack my medical kits, which I have with me with the team at all times. That’s just restocking, having my bench bag ready to go, having my training kit ready to go.”
Preparation and Marsh’s experience (he’s been at the Academy since 1994) help mitigate many – but not all – of the air pockets the Falcons encounter on the road.
“The biggest challenge is if something happens and you need a physician,” Marsh says. “If something happens during the game, the host school provides a physician, just like we do. If it happens during practice, now I’ve got to find a campus care or an emergency room, which can be difficult.
“Plus, I can only take so much with me. … I learned over the years not to take anything I can’t do with my hands.”
At your service
When an injury strikes, Marsh and his peers have a bit of a built-in advantage over some of their colleagues in the sports world.
“From my experience before coming here, (Cadets’) compliance – showing up to the training room, doing what we ask them to – is better here than a lot of other places. I have fewer guys I have to track down in general,” he says.
When Marsh sees a Cadet, he knows he’s getting a motivated and intelligent patient.
“They want to play, that helps,” he says. “Then they’re so smart. I have a lot of conversations with them I probably wouldn’t have to with your average athlete, explaining what this means physiologically, what’s happening. It keeps me on my toes.
“Because I said so doesn’t fly here at the Academy. I wouldn’t think it should anywhere. They want to fully understand what is happening.”
Changing nature of training
The athletic training field is a fluid one, just strength and conditioning is. By any measure, those areas have evolved as much as any in the sports world, and Marsh, Bodette and the rest of the Falcons’ staff go to great lengths to stay up to date on the best practices in their field.
“The physical training has changed. Back in the day it was how much can you lift? Now it’s more functional training,” Marsh says. “Our hockey players don’t need to bench 300 pound because they’re never going to have to do that task.
“You taper the training so it conforms to the sport.”
As a result, the frequency and nature of injuries has changed over the years, he adds.
“Training room injuries, sore backs, etc., have decreased significantly,” Marsh says. “Drew is excellent at what he does. We talk a lot. If we have an injured guy, we’ll modify what he does, maybe nothing over his head or don’t use his right arm. He trains them within those restrictions and does a great job.”
This points right back to something Serratore emphasized earlier this summer – the Falcons win because collectively they have a staff and a group of players on the same page. That is just as apparent in the training room or the weight room as it is in the locker room.
“We’re fortunate as a hockey staff to have consummate pros with big-time experience,” Marsh says. “It’s very easy because I don’t have to watch Drew. I tell him here are the restrictions on this guy and he gets as much out of him as he can.
“Same thing with Rushy. If I need an extra pad, he’ll order it. Or if he has new elbow pads and wants me to take a look at them, I’ll come down and take a look. Or if so-and-so’s shin pad is cracked, he’ll get it replaced. He’s great at cleaning stuff. I don’t ever have to worry about skin issues because he’s on it, constantly cleaning their equipment. Not having to worry about everybody else doing their job, I can do my job.”
It’s a job that Marsh still enjoys immensely after nearly a quarter century at the Academy.
“The best part is game day and the players. The players are always great. There’s all these different personalities, and it’s always fun to work with them,” he says.
“As tiring as the travel is, it is fun. (Assistant Athletic Director – Media Relations) Dave Toller and I have been roommates on the road for 18 years … longer than a lot of people have been married.”
“But game day is part of the reason I signed on for this profession. I was an athlete in high school and I realized it wasn’t going to go any further so I continued in this profession. The best part of it is game day. It’s still part of the competition.”
NEXT: Building up Falcons
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