Interview with Ed Kelly, Athletic Trainer for Men’s Ice Hockey

Kelly and I interviewed Ed Kelly, the AT who was present at the time of Cole’s injury. We met him at Lynah rink and set up in the alumni room. The acoustics, lighting and placement were good for the interview and we had an interesting mural of the history of Cornell’s ice hockey teams as the background.

He discussed how he made the diagnosis he did and what led him to misdiagnose the injury. Cole was not complaining of any neck pain, headaches, or concussion like symptoms which was unusual given the injury. Kelly made the decision to let him continue playing.

He discussed how he looked back at the moment with fear but strongly believes there was nothing indicating such a serious injury. Kelly went on to talk about his relationship to the athletes he works with and how he feels an almost paternal, caretaker role with them as it is his job to make sure they are safe to play. He discussed how Cole is anxious to be back on the ice and that the slow therapy and healing process is hard for someone like Cole with so much energy and ambition. Kelly must be strict with him and make sure Cole is being as smart and careful as possible.

Kelly discussed how athletes at a D1 level, especially with hockey, have the chance to play at a professional level and that makes them sometimes have a tunnel vision perspective. They will overlook life-threatening injuries because their passion for the sport trumps all else. He said it may not always be the smartest approach but it is the fact of the matter. with Cole, he feels that with the right therapy and transition back, there is no reason why he won’t be able to play again.

Kelly feels that Cole was lucky with his injury. It was unusual for a neck injury and it was fractured in a way that will not require any intensive recovery (such as surgery).

The interview was very interesting. It provided a lot of information but color as well. The best was  the relationship Kelly described to his athletes and the passion that comes with hockey. It will be great for our documentary.

The beginning of the big process

When Kelly and I attended the Cornell men’s hockey game last Friday, it was a really great experience. We got really lucky being able to be at the game against RPI, seeing as that is a huge part of how Cole got injured, and therefore a huge part of our documentary. We got a lot of good footage of the game and of #14, the guy who hit Cole, which I think could be very useful. We also go to see Cole watching the game while his teammates played and while the guy who put him in the hospital played on the ice. So getting to see that interaction was really cool. Being that close to the ice was a real experience. It was also an interesting experience having to man the camera without a tripod, seeing as there was little to no space to set one up. Needless to say, both Kelly and I now know how heavy those cameras actually are.

Last week, Natalie and Lindsay got a chance to film the locker room and were able to interview some of his teammates.

This week, we also got to interview with Paul Geisler, who specializes in Sport Performance and Exercise Medicine, Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation in Sports. He gave us a lot of great information about head and neck injuries and was also able to give us a little bit of information on Cole’s case. I think his interview will be very beneficial to our documentary.

Kelly and Lindsay also met this week with Ed Kelly, the head athletic trainer for the men’s hockey team at Cornell. They will be able to tell you more about how that went, but I heard he gave some good quotes.

So far, our production progress is looking pretty good. More to come.