Coach Carol Ferkovic Mack '00: From Beaumont Blue Streak to Beaumont Athletic Trainer

When Junior Shannon Blankenship tore her ACL last year, she had more than the physical injury to overcome before getting back on the basketball court. She had to overpower her doubts mentally, something she wasn’t confident she could do initially. It was Coach Carol Ferkovic Mack ’00, Beaumont’s Athletic Trainer, who challenged her to push beyond her comfort zone. Even when Shannon herself didn’t believe she could do more, Coach Mack knew better.

“Injuries are tough,” admits Coach Mack. “Healing has a physical component but it’s the mental game that can keep you on the bench if you don’t address it, too. The first thing to do is keep the athlete involved with their team as much as possible. I celebrate the little wins with the students. Things like getting off crutches, being able to run again. We set realistic, small goals that get us to where we want to go. I let students vent to me as well because injuries are frustrating. Then we get right back to work pushing through.”

This is the kind of magic Coach Mack brings to Beaumont’s Sport Medicine. When Athletic Director Tim Ertle started in 2017, he discovered on his first day that the sports medicine staff from the previous school year had left. “We were so lucky to land Coach Mack – someone who played at Beaumont, played collegiately, was our JV Soccer Assistant Coach for several years, and is well-respected professionally – to train our athletes. She’s been an integral member of the athletic department since coming aboard. The girls love her and I love working with her.”

Working with her is easy in part because she always has a plan for the students. “A strong female athlete is competitive and confident in her abilities while also empowering her teammates,” says Coach Mack. “Most of our athletes come to me with a goal – play collegiate sports, make varsity, become a starter, etc. I help them break down that goal into short-term things they need to accomplish. So if it’s getting stronger or faster, I make a plan to get them there.

AN EXPERT IN THE INDUSTRY

Outside the walls of Beaumont, Coach Mack has a stellar reputation in the industry, as the testament from a former colleague, Dr. Benjamin Geletka, PT, DPT, University Hospitals, proves. “She is an absolute asset when it comes to sports and orthopedic rehab as a physical therapist, but to have her in the role of strength and conditioning coach as well is just unbelievable.”

Basketball Coach Derrick Russell couldn’t agree more. “On strength and conditioning Carol is like having another member on my staff. She and I bounce ideas off one another and she creates a structured program to help the girls train. We’re a perfect team.”

She works in the same capacity with Beaumont’s soccer, tennis, and volleyball coaches.

It is Coach Mack’s understanding of what is facing today’s female athletes that makes her an invaluable part of the Beaumont community.

“There’s a lot of pressure on girls today, and I’m often asking them to try new things – new lifts or difficult workouts. I want them to know that even if they don’t do as well as they’d like, they will get better if they put in the work. Doing the hard things no one wants to do is what will make a Beaumont student stand out.”

Shannon Blankenship can attest to this from her successful recovery of her ACL injury and her conditioning work with Coach Mack. “She empowers us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s not just going up 5 pounds in a tough set, it’s a metaphor for life. She is teaching us, as young women, to be brave enough to be what we want to be and have the ability to adjust to whatever life throws our way.”

HOW DID A BEAUMONT ALUMNA GET HERE?

As a Beaumont student, Coach Mack played soccer and was in Studio Art for four years. She thought she was going to be a Graphic Designer out of college but she credits Mary Grimaldi, Beaumont’s Director of College Counseling, for the career that she is in because she helped her apply to Duquesne University’s Physical Therapy program. “Beaumont’s philosophy as a whole empowered me. When I was in college, Duquesne changed their physical therapy program. We had the option to stay in our current (master’s) program or switch to their new doctoral program. The choice was easy. I couldn’t face coming back to Beaumont and telling my teachers I didn't take the highest opportunity given to me. I went for the doctoral program.”

Today Coach Mack owns her own business, CLE Sports PT & Performance, and is a nationally renowned expert in Sports Medicine. You can tell she knows what she’s doing by her titles: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Board Certified Specialist – Sports Physical Therapy, Precision Nutrition Certified. What’s more impressive is how well respected and loved she is by coaches, parents, peers, the Athletic Director, and most importantly, by the student-athletes.

Shawn Blankenship, Shannon’s father, points out, “As parents and student athletes decide where to send (or transfer) their daughters to school, athletic training support is an area of importance for many. Having Coach Mack to lead this department at Beaumont means having a better opportunity to attract elite-level student athletes to our school.”

Original Article From: https://www.beaumontschool.org/news/2019/12/01/beaumont-news-rita-murphy-carfagna-71-and-peter-carfagna-lead-the-merici-challenge