Laura Sylvah
Faculty of Applied Health & Community Studies
Degree: Sports Injury Management
Year of graduation: 2005
Laura Sylvah’s career advice is very simple. “If you want a particular job, go get it.” And that is exactly what she did. Starting in college, she worked toward realizing her goal of becoming a therapist in the CFL, subsequently spending five years with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Laura is now celebrating her seventh season as Athletic Therapist for the football team at the University of Waterloo.
The road to the brass ring involves taking the good with the not-so-good, says Laura. “It may mean volunteering. It may mean working covering sports you're not fond of. But every job you take should be leading you towards your 'dream' job. Athletic therapy is a relatively new and small profession. Everyone seems to know everyone else. So the more people you can connect with, the greater your chances of achieving your goal.”
Growing up in Burlington, Laura knew early on that she wanted a career in sports. Her desire to become an athletic therapist grew out of her experiences at Wilfrid Laurier University where she earned a degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Stints as a student trainer for the football, rugby and hockey teams cemented her plans for the future.
The next step: Sheridan College. Home to a well-respected athletic therapy program (then called Sports Injury Management), Sheridan also came highly recommended by both Laura’s mother, Jan Sylvah, Communications/Editing Coordinator in the Office of the Registrar, and Laura's aunt, Linda Dalton, Registrar for the college.
In her third year at Sheridan, Laura was hired as a student therapist for the Tiger Cats, and soon joined Hamilton’s Wishbone Athletics as a clinic manager. (Wishbone is now run by two Sheridan alumni – Surinder Budwal and Naomi Bernstein). Seeing the popularity of athletic braces through her work at the clinic, Laura launched her own bracing company after joining the University of Waterloo. She now sells mainly custom ACL knee braces but also ankle braces as more of a preventative measure. Osteo-Arthritic knee braces are popular, as well, says Laura, who is gratified to see the growing stature of her profession. “Word has spread that we are dedicated to helping athletes of all levels return to their sport or activity much faster.”
The road to the brass ring involves taking the good with the not-so-good, says Laura. “It may mean volunteering. It may mean working covering sports you're not fond of. But every job you take should be leading you towards your 'dream' job. Athletic therapy is a relatively new and small profession. Everyone seems to know everyone else. So the more people you can connect with, the greater your chances of achieving your goal.”
Growing up in Burlington, Laura knew early on that she wanted a career in sports. Her desire to become an athletic therapist grew out of her experiences at Wilfrid Laurier University where she earned a degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Stints as a student trainer for the football, rugby and hockey teams cemented her plans for the future.
The next step: Sheridan College. Home to a well-respected athletic therapy program (then called Sports Injury Management), Sheridan also came highly recommended by both Laura’s mother, Jan Sylvah, Communications/Editing Coordinator in the Office of the Registrar, and Laura's aunt, Linda Dalton, Registrar for the college.
In her third year at Sheridan, Laura was hired as a student therapist for the Tiger Cats, and soon joined Hamilton’s Wishbone Athletics as a clinic manager. (Wishbone is now run by two Sheridan alumni – Surinder Budwal and Naomi Bernstein). Seeing the popularity of athletic braces through her work at the clinic, Laura launched her own bracing company after joining the University of Waterloo. She now sells mainly custom ACL knee braces but also ankle braces as more of a preventative measure. Osteo-Arthritic knee braces are popular, as well, says Laura, who is gratified to see the growing stature of her profession. “Word has spread that we are dedicated to helping athletes of all levels return to their sport or activity much faster.”
Learn more about Sheridan’s Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences-Athletic Therapy program.