A once-in-a-lifetime internship has paid off for a recent Fallon grad.
After completing an internship with an Australian team during the Rugby U20 World Championships this summer, Josh Morrison has accepted the position as the Latin American strength and conditioning coach for the Oakland Athletics.
“One of the things I believe really differentiated me from other possible applicants I may had been competing against for this position was that I decided to go down to Australia for graduate school,” said Morrison, who completed his master of sports science at Bond University. “Having experienced the way sports function here in the states briefly as a collegiate athlete and exposure during my undergraduate studies, as well as in Australia, has given me a great position to compare the two.”
Morrison was a standout multisport athlete who thrived in soccer and on the track with the Greenwave before completing his bachelor’s degree in Florida. He competed in track on the collegiate level and then turned his attention toward sports science.
“As a country, and specifically at Bond University where I was studying, the Aussies are on an entirely different level in regard to sports science and high-performance units,” Morrison said. “Gaining exposure to their sports system and procedures through my studies as well as my internships with the Queensland Reds Rugby Union and the Australian Under 20s Rugby Union World Cup team gave me invaluable insight and experience.”
Studying at Bond helped him score the rugby internship, which proved that Morrison is ready for the next challenge in working with developmental athletes who hope to be playing on the major-league level. Morrison will be working with 50-60 athletes, ages 16-19, at the sporting complex in La Victoria, Dominican Republic.
“I’m excited to be able to move to the Dominican Republic and bring a different perspective from that of which they may have as well as be able to learn as much as possible from everyone in the organization,” said Morrison, who will also work with both the minor and major league strength and conditioning coordinators. “Undoubtedly, it will be another experience of a lifetime for me.”
Morrison faces a task of conditioning athletes who have a long way to go before making it to the Big Leagues. They will compete in the developmental Dominican leagues before making it up the minor-league level. Morrison hopes to prepare as many as possible for the bigger stage.
“The good thing is since they’re still developmental athletes, it’s more of establishing movement patterns and injury prevention,” said Morrison, who has a Spanish background. “And with a good foundation from my studies of energy systems and physiology, it’s not too hard to switch from sport to sport.”