Savannah Blakley has been an important member of the Okotoks Dawgs since 2012 coming in as the Athletic Therapist for the squad.
Anytime a Dawg gets hurt she is on the case and finding the best solutions to help the players get back on the field healthy and ready to play.
Blakley explains how the opportunity crossed her path back in 2012.
"I was in school for athletic therapy and when I graduated there was an opening. The therapist that they had working for them moved. Me and another girl actually came on and took the role of Athletic Therapists," Blakley said.
Blakley has always had an interest in injuries which made her go down the route of being an Athletic Therapist.
"I find people interesting, mainly they are like puzzles. I like puzzles so when somebody gets injured it's interesting to figure out what's wrong and help make them better. As an athlete growing up, I would injure myself and I would figure out how to tape it myself, fix it, and then carry on. So, I liked being able to do that, so that was always kind of my niche and I always wanted to go into the sports world with it," she said.
"Physio was always my dream but, I got into athletic therapy and it's a great route, I mean I can work with some of the sports team and still work at the clinic, which is really nice."
She played in a variety of sports growing up like figure skating, gymnastics, softball, and basketball which was her main sport. Blakley joked saying that in grade six she got taller and that's why basketball became the main sport over figure skating.
Blakley mentioned that watching sports wasn't something she did a lot and spent most of her time playing outside with her three sisters and her dad. She would attend Calgary Stampeder games as her grandparents had season tickets when she was growing up.
"I liked baseball, but I still haven't been to an MLB game. But I started watching it and honestly, my love of baseball came from working with the Dawgs more than anything," Blakley added.
She explained that injuries are different in each sport as she also works with some hockey teams in the winter. With hockey, there are more acute type injuries due to the contact of the sport, and with baseball, it's easier to analyze because each player has their own movement and injuries can be seen if the mechanical movement is different than the norm.
"In hockey, every shot is not the same, in baseball every swing is not the same but, it's the same movement and setting up the same way. So, for me, it's kind of nerdy but, mechanically wise it is kind of cool to watch because, when somebody is hurt you can see how are they off, how does it look different, arm slot position and that sort of thing," she said.
Another way she explained they are different is, that in hockey the team is on the ice the whole time so things can be hidden a little bit more, whereas in baseball it's more one-on-one with the pitchers and batters competing against each other.
Some players have tried to hide an injury to stay in a game but Blakley with her knowledge of mechanical movement can sniff it out pretty fast.
"They will tell me that they are fine or that they are good, and I can usually be like 'You're not'. They will then usually come out with it, so they try but they can't really. I am very persuasive in telling them that I can tell, you can't hide it from me. So, I have done that over the years, and they don't hide it as much. I mean there is a faux pas, when you see a trainer and you are hurt, nobody wants to go into the trainer's room or therapist's room or anything like that. My goal as a therapist, same thing with hockey and baseball is that I'm not trying to take you out of the game, I'm trying to keep you in the game," Blakley added.
The most common injuries that she has seen in baseball are elbow and shoulder injuries to the pitchers and lower body injuries like a hamstring issue with position players. The elbow and shoulder injuries do affect position players too as all positions throw with their one hand over and over again. Those who can throw with both hands are less likely to have a shoulder or elbow injury as they can switch and not overuse their one hand.
Some of the worst injuries she has seen in baseball are a torn UCL (elbow), a PCL injury, and even a broken nose from this year's pitcher Jay Schueler. With the PCL injury, Blakley could see it from the dugout and had a good idea that was the case before checking on the player.
Blakley explains how she can stay calm during moments of players being injured with broken bones or blood.
"Honestly in the moment the adrenaline always helps, like just seeing it doesn't bother me. If I were to watch a video of it online, I get a little queasy because you are not in that moment. But, when it happens right then and there you are like 'ok I got to fix this'," she said.
One of her favourite moments about being a part of the Dawgs organization is winning the championship in 2019.
"I have been working here since 2012, and to be able to have that moment with the team, that was pretty special. It was a good group of guys too; we had some really good guys like Tristan Peters, and it was really cool to be around that team and that group. Every year it's always good, every year has a good group of guys. You kind of just become a part of the team," Blakley mentioned.
Being around the players for two and a half months, strong bonds are created between Blakley and the team which makes it hard to say goodbye at the end of the season.
"100 per cent, especially this year is going to be really hard because (Graham) Brunner's done. He's been on the team since he was 15,16, so for me it's going to be really strange not having him because he is just a great guy to have in the dugout and just a great person. Then Ricky (Sanchez), I have seen his brother Eddie. I Loved Eddie, he is a great kid, he's one of my favourites, and then having Ricky. Just with brothers you just kind of see them all go through. Then you sit there next year, and you are like 'Oh, well there is no more Brunner and in two years maybe there is no more Ricky, there is no more Rosey (Aidan Rose) even' and those people you have had on your team for years," Blakley added.
"Yeah, that part is going to be sad to see as it goes through but, at the end of the day, they are all going on to good things. A lot of them always stick around and you see them."
She added that she also deals with the Dawgs Academy players at her clinic, so she has built strong relationships even with players like Benito Banilla, Landon Kauffman, and Eric Hartman who are in the Academy but have played games with the WCBL Dawgs this season. She added it's a good way to get to know them as humans instead of just baseball players.
"I like working with younger kids, so it's kind of cool to see them growing up through the Academy and then come and play for us. Especially in the last four or five years where we had a lot more kids come up through the Academy and then play on this Dawgs team than we have in the past. Which is really cool for me because then I know them and then go into the season and you get to know them even more, and you already built that trust with them. I like that part about it," she said.
Blakley is a workaholic as she owns her own athletic therapy clinic, helps in multiple sports, and has little time to herself. She explained she does it all because she is passionate about her work, helping others and feels like she doesn't work a day in her life because of how much she loves her job.
Not only does Blakley help with the physical side, but she also makes a positive impact on the players and uses a quote that she heard from Ricky Sanchez's brother Eddie who said, 'smiling is free'.
"Smiling is free, it is what Eddie told me every single day when he was here and it's something Ricky now says. It just goes down the chain. You will hear a lot of the guys say that now as it is posted on my locker now. It's a sticker that Eddie and I wrote back in probably 2018 and it's been on that locker ever since," Blakley said.
She said she doesn't like to see people struggle and is a positive person rather than a "Debbie Downer".
For those who would want to become an Athletic Therapist, Blakey said she is always open to letting people come job shadow. She said baseball is a little easier as they can come stand in the dugout with her whereas hockey is a bit more complicated with the bench. She also mentioned you have to love what you do, and loving sports is half the battle. She also suggested that kids try sports medicine which is what helped her decide that this was the path she wanted to follow.
Blakley explained what the Okotoks Dawgs faithful mean to her as they always show up to Seaman Stadium by the numbers.
"It's pretty cool, I think it's one of the most amazing things honestly. I have come to a game a couple of times when I used to work with another girl who worked here with me. I came to a couple of the games to watch a game which was a really cool experience. But I can't say I have actually done that probably since 2015/16, like I haven't watched a game in the stands. So, from the dugout, it's really cool. When it's packed, it's really cool. I have gone to a couple of the junior college games for some of the guys down in the States and they don't get nearly the amount of fans that we get here. So, for me, it's really cool to see their reaction when they come and first step out onto the field and see how many people are actually in the stands. It's such a cool thing to me. I think it's phenomenal to have a baseball thing like this in Alberta where baseball is not a huge thing. Ontario is where all the baseball is, there is not a lot in Alberta, to me it's just such a cool experience. The fans are really good, people are greater here and I mean you get people coming from all over," she said.
10 Questions with Savannah Blakley
What is your go-to cheat meal?
"Honestly for me, I'm a Diabetic, so for me it's anything sweet. Sour soothers, I actually have a container of candy that's in the dugout with me with all the boys. The rule is though that they must say please and thank you. That is my own rule that I have."
What is your guilty pleasure song?
"It's not really an embarrassing guilty pleasure song, I listen to a lot of Garth Brooks. I can never go wrong with listening to him. Ain't Going Down Till the Sun Comes Up.
How many ballpark hot dogs could you eat in one sitting?
"I will admit this I can eat a lot of food. I usually don't get full very easily. I could probably eat five."
If I could grant you one wish, what would you wish for?
"Honestly my one wish, I have always wanted to go to the Galápagos Islands. That is something that has always been a dream of mine. I also want to see Darwin's turtles, I'm a nerd. But my sister and I have always wanted to do that, and I think that would be my one wish, that I would be able to get to the Galápagos before Darwin's turtles are fully extinct. To me, that's kind of a dream of mine."
If you could meet one person on this planet, who would it be?
"Robin Williams. He is somebody that I always idolized and always thought he was hilarious. I love all of his movies; I don't think there is one that I don't like. His humour was unbelievable. Always happy and smiling even though there was obviously other stuff going on."
What is your favourite sport other than baseball?
"I would almost have to say football. I actually like football. My grandfather used to repair helmets, like the leather helmets with the ears. I grew up going to football games. It's the one sport I went to was football games. I worked with a football team at one point too, the Calgary Colts."
Would you rather live in a city full of people or in the mountains with no one in sight?
"No one in sight. I am a people person and I like being in town but I like my peace and quiet. I would live in the mountains in a cabin with my dog."
What household chores do you hate doing the most?
"Honestly, unloading the dishwasher. It's the one thing I don't like to do. I can load it all day long, I just don't like putting them away."
What is your favourite movie and TV show?
"My favourite movie is Land Before Time. TV show, I really loved Friends growing up, it's always a good one."
What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?
"The first thing I would buy if I won the lottery would be a cabin in the woods. A cabin in the woods on a river or a lake, that would be a dream."
Bonus
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
"I mean as a therapist I would like the power to heal people. It would be that or knowing what people are thinking. But, knowing what people are thinking could be a pain in the butt, especially in a crowd of people. I think just being able to fix people would be the best."