Perspectives Winter/Spring 2018

Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences 29 Alumna Thrives with Soccer Team By Jeffrey R. Doeringer, Ph.D., LAT, ATC, Assistant Professor LUCY RUBIO, B.S., LAT, ATC, assistant athletic trainer, is working with the Miami FC—a professional soccer team that is part of the North American Soccer League (NASL). She began working with the team while she was a student in her last year of the NSU Athletic Training Program. The transition from being an athletic training intern with the Miami FC to now being an employee was practically nonexistent. As an intern, Rubio had the opportunity to be very hands-on with the team and gain the trust of the athletes, coaching staff, and medical staff. After 16 months of being an intern, Rubio was offered a job. Nothing changed with the team, other than the fact she had an established contract. Professional soccer was always something Rubio strived for since she decided to pursue a career in athletic train- ing. “The NSU Athletic Training Program professors made it possible for me to intern with the Miami FC and have the opportunity to network with the athletic training staff. My only requisite was to have passion for what I did, and that is something I put upon myself,” she explained. “I aspire to continue working with professional soccer, because it is something I truly enjoy, especially when you consider that I am very familiar with the sport. Working with Major League Soccer or women’s professional soccer is something I want to achieve in the future.” Rubio said working with the Miami FC has benefited her career in ways she cannot imagine, and that it has been one of the greatest experiences of her life. It has helped her grow as an individual and a professional. “It has made me know that an athletic trainer can be more than a person who cares for treatment, evaluation, and rehabilitation of injuries, but also a person who can be there for the athlete for mental and supportive purposes,” she said. The Miami FC organization is in its second year as a profes- sional soccer team in the NASL. The team won the Spring Season Championship in July and made it to the quarter- finals in the U.S. Open Cup. Working with the team’s head coach, Alessandro Nesta, who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 and the Champions League title in 2003 and 2007, makes it that much more special for Rubio to work with the Miami FC. ● Lucy Rubio leads the Miami FC team out of the tunnel.