Taryn Madsen – June 2024 Athlete of the Month
Taryn Madsen, 18, of Lakeville, is a 2024 graduate of Thayer Academy, where she played soccer and ran track for the Tigers. Taryn will be continuing her soccer career at the NCAA Division I level at St. John’s University in New York in the fall.
Taryn first arrived at Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy in Foxboro back in August of 2022 after a knee injury. Taryn worked with Elite Sports PT, Ben Godin, PT, DPT, SCS, to rehab her injury and successfully return to the soccer field. Unfortunately, in September of 2023, Taryn suffered a more serious injury that required surgery and ultimately ended her high school soccer career. After reconstruction surgery, Taryn returned to Elite and began working with Ben again on her long road to recovery. After 6-plus months of hard work, consistency, and an unwavering commitment to returning to play soccer at a high level, Taryn regained her range-of-motion, strength, power and agility and is currently working her way back onto the pitch for full-contact activities.
Based on her excellent progress in PT, Taryn has recently transitioned from PT to Elite’s Sports Performance program and is working with Coach Katie McCarthy, BS, CSCS. Taryn says her favorite exercise is the beloved RFESS (Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat) and her favorite dynamic stretch is opening and closing the gates. Taryn also mentioned that she enjoys how “the staff creates a positive, supportive, and competitive environment that inspires [her] to work [her] hardest and be the best that [she] can be.” Taryn has made it back to the soccer field and is working hard toward her goal of getting back to playing at full strength this fall for St. John’s.
Prior to her recent adversity, Taryn enjoyed a lot of success on the pitch. Before high school, she won the MTOC Championship in 2018 and was a State Cup finalist in 2019. She was a 3-year starter on varsity at Thayer and was named captain for her senior season. She was also named to the All-ISL Team in 2021 and 2022 as well as the All-NEPSAC Team in 2022. Taryn also plays for Scorpions SC.
When asked what defines a “true athlete,” Taryn describes “someone who is able to make mistakes and move on. One who is able to take constructive criticism and apply it on the spot.” She also believes a “true athlete” is “willing to challenge themselves to work harder and get better daily.” She names Lionel Messi as her biggest role model, explaining that “he does not have many physical advantages to being great at soccer but he has worked so hard to be the best he can be.”
When asked what advice she would give to younger athletes, Taryn emphasizes to “make sure you are having fun first and foremost, and don’t specialize too early.” The best advice that she has received would be from her mom who coached her growing up. Her mom used to tell her to “keep pushing because your body can do more than you think it can.”
Taryn has worked extremely hard through her rehab journey so far and is excited to continue her progress in sports performance. She tells us that her favorite part of Elite is that “the staff is continually interested in my progress and I feel supported and comfortable in a friendly environment.” Taryn also enjoys training at Elite because “it is such an inspiring place to be – there are athletes of all ages working as hard as they can to be better.”
Taryn will be playing soccer this fall at St. John’s University, where she will be studying biomedical sciences with the hopes of becoming an orthodontist one day. We are honored to announce Taryn Madsen, as Elite’s Athlete of the Month for June, 2024! Keep working hard in pursuit of your goals, Taryn! Your perseverance, dedication, passion, and positive attitude is what makes you so special and such a great role model for our younger athletes to look up! Congratulations, you’ve earned your spot on the Elite Wall of Fame and we have no doubt you have a very bright future ahead!
Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy offers Sports Performance programs and Sports Physical Therapy at both our Foxboro and Stoughton locations. To learn more about our programs and services for athletes of all ages and sports and how YOU or an athlete in your family can become our NEXT Athlete of the Month, click HERE !
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