Prognosis: Sports Can Guide Success

By Jody Kerzman

Dr. Marisa Albertson credits her success as a family practice physician to many things, but at the top of that list: her years as an athlete and a coach.

“My experiences in sports help me be a better doctor,” says Marisa. “I learned time management, the importance of being a team player, and the impact hard work and dedication have on success.”

Marisa was a stand out athlete at Minot Bishop Ryan during the early 1990s. She was part of a gymnastics team that won four state championships. As a senior, she was also point guard for Minot Bishop Ryan’s state championship basketball team. She went on to play three years of college ball at the University of Mary.

“I was going into physical therapy when I started at the University of Mary. I had one of those life changing moments after three years in that program; I decided I didn’t want to be a physical therapist. I moved to Seattle, had my son, and got married.”

Challenged

In 1999, she moved back to Minot and decided it was time to go back to school. With a young son, that proved to be a little harder than her first three years of college. She graduated from Minot State University in 2002 with a biology major and a minor in chemistry. She had planned to go onto medical school, but didn’t get accepted.

“I guess it was another test in tenacity,” says Marisa. “There was an opening at Bishop Ryan for a science teacher. I decided to try it, just in case I wasn’t able to go to medical school.”

She taught everything from physical science to anatomy. She also got her first taste of coaching.

“My little sister was a senior when I moved back in 1999 and was one of the top gymnasts in the state,” remembers Marisa. “Her coach had left, and she was without a coach, so I got to step in and coach my sister. It was so fun, but also a bit intimidating. She and her teammates were very high level gymnasts so I had to learn very quickly and show confidence, even though I didn’t always feel very confident. I had no experience as a gymnastics coach. Being a coach and being a gymnast are very different, but I needed them to believe in me like I believed in them, and they stepped up to the challenge.

“That year, my first year of coaching, was my most memorable year for a lot of reasons,” she remembers. “My sister was a big part of that. She was a leader and believed in me, and that helped her teammates believe in me too. That first year of coaching was another turning point in my life. Had my sister not needed a coach, I never would have considered coaching gymnastics. I’m so grateful for that, for the opportunity to coach, for the challenges that came with that job, and for the amazing girls I had the privilege of coaching. Those girls made a huge impact on my life.”

The Dream Realized

As much as she loved teaching and coaching, after two years, she couldn’t stop thinking about going to medical school. But by then, Marisa had two children to think about – her son was seven, and her daughter was just one-year-old. It was Marisa’s mother who convinced her to follow her dream.

“My mom is the strongest woman I know. She never for one second thought I wasn’t capable of something. She helped me get through med school with two babies.”

After medical school, Marisa moved back home to Minot. She’s been a family practice doctor at Trinity ever since.

“I love everything about it. I see pediatrics, geriatrics and everything in between. Skin conditions, basic stuff, internal medicine. A little of everything. I like the variety, and I like seeing all ages. It is the perfect fit for me.”

When she’s not busy with patients, Marisa fills her time coaching. She coached gymnastics in some form or fashion for the past 18 years, and spent six years as the director of the Minot gymnastics program.

“Gymnastics has always been a passion of mine.”

And her passion shows – she gets excited talking about all the girls she’s coached.

“Girls start at age six or seven and many of them I was able to coach all through high school. You get so bonded and so connected with them by being their coach. I loved watching their progress, on and off the mat.”

Influence

One of her proudest moments as a coach, has been seeing her gymnasts follow her footsteps, and go to medical school; one graduated last year, one will graduate this year, and a third is currently working on getting into medical school. She hopes even more will choose a similar career path.

“When you are a coach, you’re a role model. Seeing two of my girls follow in my footsteps makes me incredibly proud. I can’t help but think their time as gymnasts helped them tackle medical school as well. My goal as a coach was to use gymnastics as a vehicle to teach kids skills for life,” she says. “As a coach of course I emphasized the fundamentals of gymnastics, but I also stressed to my girls that nothing that is worth it comes easy.

“So many young girls start gymnastics with a dream of being an Olympic gymnast. No one in their right mind would ever crush

those dreams, but while it’s probably not going to happen for most gymnasts, there are still so many life lessons to learn by trying. I want them to learn the importance of hard work and self belief, no matter what obstacles might be in the way.”

Marisa is no longer coaching gymnastics, but she is still coaching, and influencing young girls. She’s now a volunteer coach for her daughter’s basketball and fast pitch softball teams. And although the sports are different her lessons and her approach remain the same: work hard and have fun. Lessons that she knows will help her girls succeed long after their days of athletics are over.