While
there are many individuals that contribute to the overall success of the UC San
Diego Athletics Department, Kevin Messey has the opportunity to make a
difference each and every day. As UCSD's Head Athletics Trainer, he works with
his staff to keep Triton student-athletes healthy and ready for competition.
Whether it's treating an injury, staffing an event, or talking to an athlete about
diet and nutrition, Messey can be found in the trenches, working to put the
best possible team on the field, court, or in the pool. A 1999 graduate of Missouri
State, Messey went on to attend the prestigious Arizona School of Health
Sciences, where he earned several of the industries' top certifications. In
addition to his experience at the collegiate level, he has worked with the San
Francisco 49ers and Giants and also served at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
A certified Graston Technique Provider, he is also an approved clinical
instructor for the Athletic Training Education Program at San Diego State. Amidst
preparation for his fifth season as UCSD's head athletics trainer and ninth
with the department overall, Messey recently took a few moments to answer some
questions for UCSDtritons.com.
Q: You are entering your fifth
season as Head Athletics Trainer at UCSD. Is there such thing as a typical
workday?
MESSEY: A typical day is far and few between, but the best idea of a
typical day starts with me arriving at UCSD and heading straight to my office
to answer some emails and return some phone calls before I start to treat
athletes. Usually during the process of emailing and making calls I stop to
help the athletes, as well. The rest of my day is a consistent fluctuation of
evaluating injuries, treating athletes, answering emails, and returning phones
calls. No day is typical from the perspective that there are always new
injuries and changes to current or old injuries.
Q: What is
the most common injury you see among Triton student-athletes? Are there any
changing trends that you've noticed during your time here?
MESSEY: In my opinion there isn't a common injury with all 23 of our
teams, but there are common injuries per sport. We tend to see trends in injuries,
meaning we might have five ankle sprains in five weeks and then we may not see
an ankle sprain for five months. The saying "when it rains, it pours" seems to
hold true for us in many respects.
Q: Are
there certain programs or sports that require more attention than others? If
so, why?
MESSEY: There are certain programs that require more attention. This
is usually due to the nature of the sport. For example, our contact sports,
such as soccer or basketball, tend to need more attention because of the higher
incidence of collision and contact.
Q: From your standpoint, what would you say are the biggest keys to being
successful on the court, field, or in the pool?
MESSEY: This is a tough question. There are many characteristics that
create successful athletes, but from a medical perspective there are a few that
standout. In order to succeed, the athlete must obviously be dedicated to their
sport and the training necessary to compete at this level, but the component
that sets the successful from the less successful is what they do outside of their
practice times. This includes strength training, nutrition, psychological
management, and physical and mental rest and sleep. These aspects are typically
overlooked and play a large part in an athlete's success.
Q: You see
many of our student-athletes on a daily basis and get to know some of them
better than anybody. What three words would you say best describe Triton
athletes?
MESSEY: Dedicated, well rounded, successful.
Q: You
have a great relationship with your staff, mainly assistant athletic trainers
Tosh Tepraseuth and Vanessa Yang. What makes those two so easy to work with?
MESSEY: In my opinion we have the best athletic training staff you
can find. With ever-growing demands, it's challenging to cover nearly 600
athletes with just three full time and two part-time athletic trainers. In any
athletic training room, it is very important to have a medical staff that works
cohesively. Both Tosh and Vanessa have excellent personalities for this job.
They have a great sense of humor, are dedicated, reliable, patient, easy going,
and work well with all personalities. Tosh and Vanessa's contributions to the
athletic training room and the athletics department overall are more than can
be appreciated in words.
Q: What's the best part about your job working at UCSD?
MESSEY: The best part is seeing the expression on the athletes' faces when
they realize that their injury has been resolved and they are ready to return
to normal athletic activity. Knowing that we had a lot to do with their return
from injury is the most fulfilling part of this job.
Q: You
have a degree in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training from Missouri State.
When did you know you wanted to get into athletic training?
MESSEY: I actually fell into athletic training on accident. As an
athlete in high school, I was fascinated with the science of the human body and
the aspects of athletic performance. I took medical science classes in high
school and spent many hours in the weight room outside of my typical practices
and games. My high school counselor helped me find a university that had a program
called "Athletic Training", which we both believed was related to athletic
performance (also known as strength and conditioning at that time). We were
wrong and I found out on the first day of school my freshman year when I went
to my first class and the professor was outlining the course, which was
predominately going to focus on sports medicine. After researching strength and
conditioning, I realized that there really wasn't a specific major in that
field at that time so I decided to stick with athletic training to see if I
liked it. Needless to say, I did like it quite a bit and here I am today.
Q: You
have worked with athletes at many levels, including high school and college,
while also spending some time in the pro ranks. What's the biggest difference
between amateur and professional athletes in the training room?
MESSEY: It's hard to generalize this answer since it depends on the
personalities of the athletes. But
to make the best comparison between a successful amateur athlete and a
successful professional athlete, I would say that the amateur athlete is much
more humble. Both groups work really hard to achieve success at their level,
but I think the money and fame is what changes the athlete. When it comes to
injuries, not much changes. An ACL tear is an ACL tear, and its up to the
dedication of the athlete to complete the rehabilitation properly and
thoroughly to have an excellent outcome.
Q: What
advice would you give to any aspiring athletic trainers out there?
MESSEY: Athletic training is a challenging profession. Before you
commit yourself to an athletic training program, you should spend at least 300
hours volunteering for your local high school, community college, or four-year
college to ensure this is what you want to do. The university athletic training
education programs are very intense and require complete dedication to complete
them successfully. I would also suggest interviewing a certified athletic
trainer at these locations to find out if this is the profession for you. You
can also go to www.nata.org to learn
more about the profession.
Q: Are
there any athletes or coaches you admire? Why?
MESSEY: Albert Pujols comes to mind, partially because I'm a fan of
the St. Louis Cardinals, but mostly because of what he does off the field. He
is a respectable individual, who seems to have good morals and values. In this
day and age it's hard to find a superstar that isn't caught up in scandals or
negative news in some way. I hope he can keep it up.
Q: Speaking
of the Cardinals, St. Louis is two games behind the upstart Cincinnati Reds in
the National League Central standings as of this writing. Do the Cards have
what it takes to come back and win a second straight division title?
MESSEY: With Albert Pujols they always have a chance!
Q: Where's
your favorite place to grab a bite in San Diego?
MESSEY: San Diego has many fine restaurants and excellent food. It's
tough to choose just one. If I'm going out for a nice meal, then it has to be
Donovan's Steak House. If I'm
going cheap and casual, then it's Pizza Port.
Q: If you
could splurge on one junk food, what would it be?
MESSEY: Chocolate cookies are my favorite sweet.
Previous Q & A Articles
Dan O'Brien (Baseball Head Coach) June 18, 2010
Christine Merrill (Women's Track & Field) June 14, 2010
Vance Albitz (Baseball) May 11, 2010
Erik Elliott (Men's Tennis) May 3, 2010
Kelly Fogarty (Women's Track & Field) April 23, 2010
Liz LaPlante (Women's Tennis Head Coach) April 15, 2010
Kirby St. John (Baseball) March 24, 2010
Dan Perdew (Men's Swimming) February 28, 2010
Calvin Ross (Men's Volleyball) February 20, 2010
Nicole Saari (Softball) February 4, 2010
Brad Kreutzkamp (Women's Water Polo Head Coach) January 18, 2010
Tyler Acevedo (Men's Basketball) January 4, 2010
Dr. Cliff Kubiak (UCSD's Faculty Athletic Rep) December 18, 2009
Chelsea Carlisle (Women's Basketball) December 9, 2009
Carianne Cunningham (Women's Swimming) November 23, 2009
Elena Inouye (Cross Country) November 6, 2009
David Morton (Men's Water Polo) October 28, 2009
Juan Pablo Carillo (Men's Swimming) October 19, 2009
Sara Spaventa (Women's Soccer) October 10, 2009
Karen Reis (Women's Volleyball) October 2, 2009
Daniel Pavitt (Men's Soccer) September 23, 2009
Daniel Anderson (Cross Country) September 11, 2009
Peter Gresham (Men's Water Polo) September 2, 2009
Alexia Zatarain (Women's Soccer) August 24, 2009
Elaine Chen (Women's Volleyball) August 12, 2009
Jared Kukura (Men's Soccer) July 30, 2009
Dawn Lee (Former Women's Soccer Standout) July 8, 2009
Rob Mamula (Director of Athletic Performance) June 18, 2009
Garrett Imeson (Baseball) June 8, 2009
Leon Baham (Men's Track & Field) May 21, 2009
Kristyn Lesovsky (Softball) May 8, 2009
Kazumi Negishi (Men's Tennis) May 5, 2009
Laiah Blue (Women's Track & Field) April 16, 2009
Ryan Andre (Men's Crew) April 2, 2009
Josh Tanner (Baseball) March 24, 2009
Anju Shimura (Women's Swimming) March 7, 2009
Stephanie Bocian (Women's Water Polo) February 20, 2009
Lauren Chastain (Softball) February 5, 2009
A.J. Maulhardt (Men's Basketball) January 28, 2009
Annette Ilg (Women's Basketball) January 22, 2009