A balanced diet, pre-competitive warmup, awareness of their posture, and breathing exercises are vital in any traditional athlete’s routine, and it is not different for professional gamers. The world is changing, sports are changing, and with them, the definition of what an athlete is. This is just some of what was discussed with today’s guest, Elise Carlson. 

Elise Carlson is the Head Athletic Trainer at Florida Memorial University. She holds a Master’s Degree in Athletic Trainer from Barry University, and she worked as a clinical athletic trainer for Professional Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy in New York.

In this episode, Elise and Dr. Marc discuss the importance of athletic training for gamers and esports professionals, how to avoid and prevent injuries and health problems. Elise also shares how she decided to become an athletic trainer and her excitement for working with the gaming community. 

Florida Memorial University website: https://www.fmuniv.edu/

Connect with Elise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-carlson-63612a14a/

Connect with Dr. Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Full Episode Breakdown:

5:21 – Dr. Marc tells the story of how he met with Elise.

7:40 – Dr. Marc talks a bit about Elise’s achievements.

11:09 – Elise explains why she decided to attend college in Florida.

15:09 – Elise talks about her experience on the rower team and the NCAA championship her team won.

20:34 – Elise speaks about her parent’s influence on her life choices and how she developed her career.

23:05 – Elise talks about her relationship with video games.

29:55 – Elise talks about how COVID affected her job and how they work with the athletes at the university.

35:57 – Dr. Marc and Elise talk about how the definition of athlete has changed.

42:03 – Elise talks about her role as an athletic trainer in the gaming industry.

45:41 – Dr. Marc and Elise talk about the importance of professional gamers getting frequent heart checkups. 

48:41 – Elise talks about how the gaming industry should approach getting its athletes checking their hearts regularly.