Victoria Griste

In 2014 I tore my ACL playing soccer. It was misdiagnosed twice, and I didn’t end up getting surgery until 2016 after 2 years of playing with knee pain. After struggling with coaches telling me “it was in my head” and losing my love for the sport I always played, I was extremely unmotivated and lost. In April 2016, I finally had surgery and felt even more unmotivated realizing I would have to retrain my body to bend and straighten my leg and relearn how to walk. In those 10 months of recovery, watching how my body was able to regain range of motion, strength, and the ability to play again was fascinating. It was a challenging process, but one that showed me what weightlifting does for the body and gave me a new passion. I wanted to help other people that tore their ACL to recover and others to avoid it from happening. This led me to study Exercise Science in college and pursue a career as a strength and performance coach.

In 2019 I began school at West Chester University studying Exercise Science. I joined Exercise Science Club where the professors would bring in health professionals from the area to discuss what they do and offer potential internships. For one of the meetings Paul came in as a guest speaker. Hearing his passion for helping athletes inspired me and made me want to learn more. I did my internship here at “Marino’s Athletic Performance” in 2021 and was hired after I graduated. I have been here ever since and

am lucky to have the opportunity to work with athletes and help them to see everything they are capable of. We have athletes come in after their ACL surgery and being able to cheer them on through the challenging process is something I value.

In September 2024, I chose to expand my expertise and better support athletes in reaching their full potential by pursuing a Massage Therapy license. While athletes train hard and compete year-round, recovery is often overlooked despite being critical for peak performance. Massage therapy helps relieve muscle tension and pain, improve flexibility and range of motion, boost circulation, and reduce stress and anxiety. After completing a 600-hour Massage Therapy program, I became a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT).


Credentials:

  • B.S. Kinesiology – West Chester University

  • Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)