PSU Alumna Tackles Health and Fitness of US Women’s Rugby Team
While some of the best women’s rugby players in the world prepare for the 2016 Olympics this year, Nicole Titmas ’06G is at their sides. As head athletic trainer for the US Women’s Rugby Team, the Eagles, Titmas’s role is to educate the athletes about their health; facilitate prevention, rehabilitation, and recovery programs; and provide athlete support. Her zeal for rugby, commitment to health, and talent as a trainer has brought her to this pinnacle of athletic achievement.
In the physically intense game of rugby, Nicole Titmas ’06G, athletic trainer to the US Women’s Rugby Team, has her work cut out for her. Courtesy of USA Rugby.
An avid rugby player during her graduate studies at Plymouth State, as well as on earlier club and college teams, Titmas carried her passion for the sport into a career in athletic training. She quickly made her way up the athletic training ranks in national women’s rugby, and joined the US women’s team in June 2012.
Titmas is known for her ability to stay grounded in high-stress situations. “These athletes work very hard and are under a lot of pressure,” she says. “If I can help reduce some of that pressure, it helps us build a strong relationship.” Injured athletes have told Titmas that her positivity, compassion, and laughter motivates them during their recovery.
“I work with athletes through injuries and tough times,” she says. “From my experience, if the athlete is in a good place mentally and emotionally, the rehabilitation of an injury is much more successful. A good laugh can help the athlete reduce stress, improve performance, and brighten the mood.”
In July 2015, the mood was bright indeed when the US women captured silver at the Pan American Games in Toronto. “The energy was phenomenal,” Titmas says. “It was a beautiful experience to join so many athletes from all over the Pan Am region.”
In August, after a year of training and competing around the world from Alaska to Dubai to France, the Eagles will battle for the top spot in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. If Titmas has her way, her team will be strong, smiling, and going for the gold. –Emilie Coulter
The US Women’s Rugby Team at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada. Courtesy of Nicole Titmas.
Tags: 2016 Olympics athletic training Nicole Titmas Olympics Pan Am Games Pan American Games USA Women's Rugby Women's Eagles Women's Sevens
