Convocation Spotlight: Brooke and Cara Lang
Kyle Ireland - 12 June 2023
Brooke Lang (left), Cara Lang (right)
Twin sisters Brooke and Cara Lang are award-winning University of Alberta Pandas soccer players and both are graduating from the combined bachelor of kinesiology and bachelor of education program this year. While they share a program and sport, these two sisters have different moments of pride and advice for future students.
What initially drew you to this area of study?
Brooke:
My interest in kinesiology arose from my past of playing high-performance sports. I have been an athlete since the age of four. I am grateful to have played all sports at a competitive level and have played soccer at a high-performance level with the junior Pandas varsity program, FC Edmonton/REX soccer program, and at the Canada soccer level. Training my body to perform at its maximum capacity through different modes of training is what I have been exposed to as an athlete early on and have also been through as a player and coach in a variety of sporting environments. Through my past of coaching sports from the age of 14 on, I was able to develop the skills of working with people from a movement/sport-specific lens, which also ignited my interest in learning more about the body's abilities.
Cara:
I always have had a passion for sports and the rehab/preparation process. You use your body so much on a daily basis, paired with putting it through multiple modes of stress and strenuous sporting programs, which is where my passion stemmed from. The human body is special and it is essential to know how it works and how to take care of it. I tore my ACL and went through the gruelling rehab process that followed and came out of it stronger and fitter overall. I enjoyed that process and learned a lot about the athlete I was and took pride in reconfiguring myself as a U-Sport athlete. I gained a level of respect for my body and appreciated the amount of work it took to get myself back to functioning normally and at the U-Sport level.
What achievement, accomplishment or moment are you most proud of from your time in the program?
Brooke:
In my kinesiology program, I am most proud of receiving honours and being in the top 10 per cent of my degree, which allowed me entrance into the international honours society in my first three years. The achievement of my personal academic success of a 3.7 GPA in my first year in university is what I am most proud of, as I took the most difficult classes of anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology, and biomechanics in those first few years as a young student. I was in a double degree, for education as well as kinesiology, and playing soccer for the Pandas team. Soccer is a very physically demanding sport, which required early-morning lifting sessions, intense two-hour practices right after school, along with video reviews that often ended at 9 p.m. in my first few years.
Cara:
I am most proud of my President’s Choice award that I received in my fifth and final year of Pandas soccer. This award signified someone who exhibited exceptional effort and leadership skills, paired with being a role model, and an exceptional athlete on and off the pitch. I also was selected as a First Team All-Star (one of the top five defenders in the league) this past season.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
Brooke:
The biggest challenge I faced throughout my degree was overcoming two strokes that occurred in my fourth year of university. I pushed myself to come back from that injury in the physical realm right away, so I was able to make my fourth year of Pandas back into the starting 11. I also experienced mental and physical repercussions from the strokes that I suffered on the left side of my brain stem. I was paralyzed on the entire right side of my body. Post the strokes my memory suffered to recall certain pieces of information at the time that I needed them. My motor-unit activation and coordination on the right side of my body were negatively affected to the point of tremors and intense migraines and nausea when I was in the gym post working out for Pandas. I am very grateful that there were no permanent consequences as a result of the strokes. I had heart surgery during COVID in 2020, for them to close the hole in the middle of my heart (which the blood clot went through), so the chances of it occurring again are minimized.
Cara:
The biggest challenge that I faced was tearing my ACL and the rehab process that followed. I had to utilize the knowledge and skills I learned throughout my kinesiology degree and apply them to my rehab. The rehab process required me to take a multi-disciplinary approach as it proved to be a balancing act in terms of allowing proper healing time, attaining full range(s) of motion, and performing in vigorous training programs. I became intrinsically in tune with myself mentally, physically and emotionally. elearning the basics, such as getting my foot all around on a bike and learning how to balance, walk and run again was a very humbling process, to say the least. I had to rebuild the kinematics of my body in a way that was sufficient for me and in a way that would get me back to the highest level of soccer again, not just simply normal functioning. I was able to set goals and push myself throughout my recovery journey. In the end, I was able to make it back into the starting 11 and played in the home-opener game of our season.
How did you stay motivated and who helped you keep going when things got tough?
Brooke:
I have always had a fantastic support system. I have an identical twin sister who also was in my degrees and played on Pandas, so I always had her to turn to if I needed help. My parents and younger sister always made it to every game and were always there to support me at home. All of my professors and advisors in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation were always supportive and encouraging of my Pandas soccer career! It felt so nice to be encouraged to go away on a trip by my professors, who would further wish me luck even though I was missing their class on a Friday or the following Monday due to travel with the team. My coaches always helped me with my motivation in school and in sports with regards to emphasizing school coming first and athletics second. With playing a varsity sport, any free time I had was going towards school. I have always had high-achieving ambitions and motivations to succeed in school, so I would say I was equipped with personal motivation skills as well. I had a great relationship with my coaches and wanted to perform well for them and to represent the Pandas program well to try and make it to Nationals. Sport I would say helped keep me motivated.
Cara:
I kept myself motivated and had some help from my personal trainers at RVX, my U of A trainers, my coaches and my teammates. My friends and family were very supportive and helpful throughout my recovery journey.
What advice would you give to a student thinking of entering this program of study/specialization?
Brooke:
My advice would be to enjoy the program and the people who are in it! Be ready to work hard, and use the extra office hours and time in the labs if you need. The skills you learn in kinesiology will contribute to lifelong learning of how to live an active, healthy life through sport and most importantly movement. If you're a coach already, all the better as it is a guarantee that your life will be holistically enhanced through the teachings and learnings from this degree.
Cara:
My advice would be to really appreciate this degree and the significance it holds in terms of long-term health and activity, and knowing how the body functions. Also be willing to take on the opportunity to help others in this field.
What have you learned about yourself, and how will you use this going forward?
Brooke:
I have learned that I am able to persevere through internal and external adversity thrown my way. I believe that through this degree, my time management, study skills and confidence in myself and my own abilities have been able to flourish and provide me with an advanced foundation of skills/tools for my first job and a longtime career in the future.
Cara:
I have learned that I can do anything I set my mind to in terms of taking care of my body. I have come to appreciate myself and the work it takes to keep your body in shape. I will utilize this degree moving forward to help educate others in terms of lifelong activity and body management. I am humbled to share my knowledge about this degree, paired with my U of A varsity athlete experience, as these two go hand in hand with each other. This degree will stay with me as I take it into the coaching/teaching world. I will have the chance to help the next generation of either students or athletes who are up and coming to achieve their goals.
What comes next for you in your career/academic journey?
Brooke:
I was able to get a contract right out of university at a junior high school close to where I live. I have been teaching physical education and fitness classes, along with math, science and social studies. I would love to eventually teach sports medicine in high school or possibly even go back to school to receive my master's in occupational therapy. I love and want to help people with their physical and academic journeys and that is why I became a coach and a teacher.
Cara:
I have taken on a teaching career in the secondary education field. I received my first teaching contract and am working currently at a high school in St. Albert. My education degree, kinesiology degree, and my sporting experience will help me engage and relate with kids on another level. I could not be more honoured and proud to share my athletic experiences to help the next generation succeed.