Name: Rick Celebrini
Degree & Year: BSc PT 1992; PhD 2011 
Current Profession/Employer: Director of Sports Medicine and Performance, Golden State Warriors

Why did you choose to play at UBC?
Dick Mosher was such an amazing presence as the head coach at the time and was the key in recruiting me. UBC was the top program for university soccer in the country and it was also home for me so, really, it was a no brainer. Dick really cared about all of his players and more than backed up everything he promised me during the recruitment process, including taking care of me when I had a serious injury just before my first year.  

Why did you choose your program of study at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I chose to do both my Physical Therapy degree and my PhD at UBC because they had great reputations for their programming and their faculty as well as allowing me to stay home in Vancouver. UBC is internationally recognized in the areas of sports medicine and motor learning so it was a perfect fit for my interests. 

How does your degree/major apply to your job?
My physical therapy degree has given me the platform to develop a diverse and interdisciplinary understanding of all aspects of player performance, injury prevention, injury management and general healthcare for our players. My PhD has allowed me to develop a critical thought process, deeper understanding of evaluating and using evidenced-informed practice, and, of course my focused areas of study – injury prevention, biomechanics, motor learning and neuromuscular control. 

Favourite T-Bird memory: 
Four national championships in four years is the obvious answer but, more than that, is the friendships and bonds that I created with team-mates and fellow students back then. So many great memories that would take much more space than I have available here. I still keep in touch with and run into many of those same people today. 

Favourite place on campus: 
The old OJ Todd grass fields that we spent countless hours training and playing on. A close second is the old Pit Pub. 

Did you receive financial support as a student-athlete? If so, how did this impact your experience as a T-Bird?
I did and it was absolutely essential for me to balance the dense academic schedule with our intense soccer schedule and training. I didn't have to get a part-time job which allowed me to focus completely on school and soccer.

What was your first job after graduation? 
I covered for Ron Mattison as a physiotherapist at the UBC Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic for a couple months before working at a clinic in Burnaby with Alex McKechnie. 

What advice do you have for current student-athletes? 
Maximize the university student experience! As much as it's a cliché - the time goes by so fast and you really don't appreciate a lot of it until you look back years later. 

What's the best advice you can give to a student or recent alumni to help plan a career? 
"Find your passion in life and create the discipline to achieve it" (my brother, Randy Celebrini - quote from many years ago). You must put a lot of work in early in your process to establish a career path that provides lots of opportunities. However, if it is your true passion, it won't feel like "work". I am very fortunate to feel like I have worked very few days in my life! 

Do you have a mentor?  How have they influenced you? 
Yes, Alex McKechnie, Performance Director for the Toronto Raptors was a mentor and significant influence on my career. His creative, outside of the box thinking married with a sound clinical decision making process rally influenced my early days as a developing clinician. His pioneering work with professional athletes that had complex, recalcitrant conditions also provided me with an opportunity and an environment to take my career in a unique and exciting direction. 

How and where do you find inspiration?
Mostly from the people around me;
– my wife, Robyn, who inspires me everyday with her tireless care, engagement and connection with our four children. 
– my children that have such a pure joy and genuine love of life – of being active, exploring their boundaries and getting better every day
– some of the elite athletes, coaches and executives that I have had the privilege to work with on a daily basis are so extremely focused and dedicated to their craft. They have a passion and a process for what they do that allows them to not only be great at what they do but also great people. 

How have you used your varsity athletic experience in your current career/life?
There is so much that I have taken from those formative years. There is the ability to balance and manage the intense academic and athletic demands at a time when you also have a social "pull" to have fun with your friends and team-mates. Learning how to be part of a team and the importance of team dynamics and understanding, interacting and getting the most out of different personalities for a common goal has been an important part of my roles with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver Canucks and now with the Golden State Warriors. Ultimately the struggle and hard work that went into our team winning four national championships and the joy and togetherness that was also inherent and necessary in that process has profoundly impacted me and guided me in my professional path.

Any particular insights during quarantine? 
I realized how important it was for me to spend time, real time, with my family. Of course, I was always aware of this and tried, like most people, to "make the time" but this was an opportunity to have significant time and capacity to connect deeply without outside distractions. Related to that was the realization of just how fast and chaotic the world was moving as was my place in the world. The forced "pause" allowed me to breathe - I found I was less reactive and impatient and more relaxed, creative and present. These feelings and emotions were in contrast with the stress and anxiety related to the risk and uncertainty that COVID-19 was presenting to our family and the world. The tenuous and fragile nature of global health and well-being was never more apparent.