The brain trust for the Rebound Bloggers Association (*not a real thing) had the honor of partaking in a fireside chat (*never happened) with one of Rebound’s newest therapists to find out how she became both the person and professional she is today. During our interview it became clear that Jenn was destined treat patients at Rebound. From an extensive athletic background to a burning desire to discover why the Northwest is truly the best, Jenn ending up in here in Bend is no coincidence. We hope you take a minute of your day and discover for yourself why we are thrilled to have Jenn Randall on board at Rebound.
Wagons West!
Rebound: Yankees or Mets?
Jenn Randall: I wouldn’t consider myself a baseball fan, but definitely Mets over Yankees!
*Editor’s note- Correct answer.
Rebound: Do you own an ‘Ithaca is gorgeous’ shirt?
JR: I have an “Ithacans Run Gorges” shirt, a fun, and accurate, spinoff
Rebound: What events did you run in track, any that you would have liked to try but didn’t?
JR: I ran the 400 through the 1500 in track and 5ks and 6ks in cross country. My favorite event was the 800meters. I would have liked to have attempted the 400m hurdles or steeplechase, but never got the chance to try either
Rebound: Did being a competitive athlete sway you in the direction of physical therapy?
JR: Absolutely! My love of being active through running, soccer, hiking ect has inspired me to share that passion as a coach and therapist. I know how frustrating it can be to be sidelined from the activities I love and I want to get others back to they love too!
Rebound: Most memorable event relating to being a student athlete?
JR: In my first year of graduate school, I had NCAA eligibility left to run cross country, as I had switched from running cross country to joining the soccer team as an undergrad. However, in grad school I decided to give cross country another shot, and didn’t have high expectations for my season, I didn’t consider myself a distance runner. Partway through the season I sustained a bad ankle sprain that put me on crutches for a few weeks. A week after I got off crutches, I jumped into the regional meet and came in 3rd, qualifying for nationals, which I hadn’t expected. At nationals I finished 12th and gleaned an All American spot in a race I had never considered my strong point, only a few weeks off of crutches, and had fun doing it. It was then that things really started to click for me with distance running. I realized that, despite the obstacles that season between injury and my crazy grad school schedule, by working hard but not putting too much pressure on myself, anything is possible.
Rebound: Favorite/most inspiring sports movie?
JR: Remember the Titans – although I’m not normally a big football fan, it’s a great flick
Rebound: How did you end up in Eugene, OR… had you visited Bend often before moving this way?
JR: I wanted to see the West Coast, as I love outdoor adventure and wanted to discover the Pacific North West. I had only been to the west coast once in my life (in college I ran at a track meet in the LA area). I landed in Eugene by chance and loved it. Prior to moving here to Bend, I had visited many times over the past few years to hike, run and camp at Smith Rock, and to coach youth track and field in the area. I also ran the Bend Classic Mile last summer and had a blast, I knew Bend was an area I’d love to spend more time exploring.
Rebound: How many ‘energetic’ dogs do you have? Breeds? Names?
JR: I have a husky/wolf hybrid named Cedar and a cute mutt (shepherd/lab mix) named Kai, both are rescue pups that love to hike, run, sniff, and play in the snow
Rebound: If you could be any animal what would you end up as and why?
JR: Cerulean warbler, they are a unique song bird, travel long distances, migrating to South America (which is definitely on my travel bucket list), and have a beautiful singing voice. ( A talent I don’t have haha)
Rebound: If you could be a professional at any sport what would you choose?
JR: A pro soccer player! (probably in Europe) This was one of my childhood aspirations
Rebound: If you could pick any two celebrities as co-workers who would they be?
JR: Kate Grace (professional middle distance runner who is inspirational) and Trevor Noah, comedian (he does great impressions which would make for an entertaining work place)
Rebound: One last fun fact about yourself you would like to share:
As a child, I loved playing in the snow so much that I tried to change my name to Snowflake, I could even spell snowflake before I could spell Jennifer
