Dana Dobbie's 19-year career has taken her to the top of the lacrosse world. Both at Ohio University and the University of Maryland, Dana set multiple NCAA records as she graduated from the University of Maryland in 2008 as the NCAA’s all-time leader in draw controls and as the single season record holder for draw controls.
She even became the first-ever Canadian to win Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Year, winning it back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. Dobbie’s also spent the last fourteen seasons as an assistant coach at Loyola University-Maryland, training the next generation of lacrosse stars.
Dana has also garnered significant notoriety on the international stage. Since the 2009 FIL Women’s World Cup, Dobbie has been a cornerstone of Team Canada and is gearing up to compete in the 2022 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship.
Before the 2022 season, Dobbie sat down to discuss why she wears the Q-Collar and the impact she believes it can have on her sport.
Why do you wear the Q-Collar?
“I wear the Q-Collar so when I hit the field I can make sure that I’m playing at my best. A lot of that confidence comes from my preparation and knowing that I’m protected from head-to-toe when I step out on that field. I ‘collar-up’ just to make sure that if I take a hit or I go through and I’m going hard to the net, that my equipment has my back and I’m able to play at the highest level possible.”
How does it feel to wear the Q-Collar?
“To wear the Q-Collar is very comfortable. It feels just completely like a part of the gameday routine. You throw your cleats on, your goggles on, your mouthguard and you ‘collar-up’ and you’re ready to compete. It’s not something you notice as soon as the game starts and as you’re playing. It just feels like a part of the routine and you’re ready to go.”
How will the Q-Collar impact youth lacrosse?
“The Q-Collar makes youth lacrosse safer in that youth players are protected in the short-term and, most importantly we need to think as athletes down the road, in the long-term. Although we might just be thinking about just this practice or just this game, we also have to be thinking about when we’re done with this sport and ensure that we’ve done everything we can to help protect ourselves especially from those head injuries.”
To learn more about why Dana and other elite female and male lacrosse players are wearing the Q-Collar, please check out this video.
