Games over but our physios are still in the news.

Both  Paige Larson and Maggie Phillips-Scarlett were interviewed about their roles in the Paralympics on CBC’s On The Coast with host Stephen Quinn last Friday.  Sadly, I didn’t get to hear it so if anyone has the media file of the radio interview please send it my way.

Maggie was profiled in the local media about her role as the head strength and conditioning coach and team physiotherapist for the 13-person Paralympic Alpine racing team, because as everyone knows that two of the most important professionals any serious athlete has in their arsenal is a strength and conditioning trainer and a physiotherapist. Read more in Physiotherapist treats Paralympians: Phillips-Scarlett said she ‘loved the challenge’

source: Vancouver Sun

We’ve taken a short break between games here at the Sportsphysio2010 blog, but that doesn’t mean our physios are done. Many will be back to help out athletes in the Paralympic games and we’ll be here to tell you about them.

It isn’t difficult to be awestruck by athletes competing at the Paralympic games. Can you imagine skiing down a course reaching speeds of over 130km/hr with only 10% vision?  In a series of recent Vancouver Sun articles (Faster, higher, stronger and paralympians have top-secret edge), Randy Shore highlights the sophisticated technology behind paralympic sports and the national program in place to give Canadian paralympians the technological edge to put them at the top of the podium.

Funded through Own the Podium, the Top Secret program is developing high-tech gear and improving technology for paralympic athletes. From advanced-damper sit-skis for the para-alpine team to specialized picks and blades for the sledge hockey team, athletes are experiencing a phenomenal difference in performance levels according to Shore, who expects to see some fierce competition when the Paralympics games begin. Sales of wheelchair curling and sledge hockey tickets are going fast!

Physiotherapists play a huge role in working with these awesome athletes.  Physio Paige Larson has  vast experience working with paralympic athletes  and has seen a lot of action during the 2010 games.  She was  venue medical supervisor for figure skating and is now is now with the wheelchair curling team.  Paige, who  has  been with Team Canada for  the last three Paralympics, was recently featured in The North Shore News.  Read about Paige here.

Paige in action

We look forward to hearing more from Paige and other  physios volunteering for the Paralympic games!

Suzanne Geba
Member Services & Technology Lead for PABC

Local volunteers are the backbone of the Olympics and Kelowna’s Randy Goodman has certainly played a central roll.

Goodman is charge of  leading therapy services at the “best polyclinic in Olympic games history” says a recent article in the Kelowna Capital News.

The 10,000 square-foot multi-specialty, state of the art medical clinic has everything from physiotherapy to massage to chiropractic, acupuncture, bracing and orthotics. Goodman is in charge of a team of physios (many PABC members )  who were treating mostly athletes from outside of Canada,  some of whom wouldn’t have been able to compete without the services at the polyclinic,  he says in the article. While many of the larger teams brought their own physios, most relied on the services provided by Goodman’s team.

A story in the Vancouver Sun also featured the world class facility in a February 15th article.

Goodman applied for the position to run the polyclinic three years ago and began preparations for the Olympics two years ago.

Kudos to Goodman and his team!

Read the full article.

Getting the ‘behind every athlete’ story out.

Alison Osborne, PABC’s Communications strategist shares a few thoughts about her role in getting media attention for our physiotherapists:

With 73 BC physiotherapists working and volunteering at the 2010 Winter Games, this is a great  opportunity to showcase the work of PABC members. In January, PABC contacted me to develop a plan for raising the profile of physiotherapists through the BC media – an initiative that would dovetail nicely with the Association’s television advertising campaign throughout the Games.

There are no guarantees when it comes to media, and we knew there would be lots of competition  for media attention related to the Olympics. So, in consultation with the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, VANOC and the Canadian Olympic Committee, we determined our primary strategy would be to highlight PABC members by targeting local news media in their home communities – profiling their commitment to helping athletes compete at the top of their game.

We were really delighted by the number of physios who were willing to share their pride and enthusiasm about participating in this once-in-a-lifetime event, from Gabriola Island to Nelson (and many points in between!). In total, my colleague Anne McLaughlin and I liaised with 22 PABC members and approached 13 different community media outlets. So far, our efforts have yielded stories in six community papers, with three more stories currently in the works.

In the mainstream media, we were excited to put forward Chris Napier, the team physio for Julia Murray of the Canadian women’s ski cross team. Global TV’s O Show – hosted by sports personality Squire Barnes – ran a great story on how physiotherapy was crucial for helping Julia get back on track to compete after a serious knee injury. As someone who works primarily in the health and research sectors, it’s been a real thrill for me to be involved in some small way with such a fantastic, world-class sporting event – a big thanks to PABC for this opportunity!

posted by Alison Osborne, Monkey Hill Health Communications

PABC thanks Alison for all her fantastic work!

Here’s a partial listing of media coverage of BC Physios:

Damien Molroney
Highs and lows for local Olympic physiotherapist, Nelson Daily News
Pushing to the highest level: Local physiotherapist helps Olympic athletes reach their best

Steve Witvoet
North Okanagan flavour at Games, Vernon Morning Star

D’Arcy Boulton
Residents ready to help at Games, Nanaimo Bulletin

Jen Jones
Ex-River resident brings healing to Olympic athletes, Campbell River Mirror
COFFEE WITH—Games support, South Delta Leader
Healthy dose of Deltans helping out with Games: Medical professionals posted at various Olympic venues, Delta Optimist

Greg Bay
Heading up an Olympic operation, Abby physiotherapist leads team in Whistler, Abbotsford Times

Chris Napier
Julia Murray is back on track, CBC, Vancouver Now
Global TV National – crew filmed in Chris Napier’s clinic Feb 10 with ski cross athlete Julia
Murray; anticipate airing closer to ski cross event

source: Nelson Daily News

Damien Moroney, who is also Nelson, BC’s man at the Whistler Sliding Centre is again featured in the local media .

Nelson Daily News writer Colin Payne who has been following Moroney (see previous post) writes about the highs and lows for the local Olympic physiotherapist.

Working with several Olympic bobsleigh and skeleton riders in the lead up to their Olympic competition, Moroney  has been with them at the track in Whistler where he’s bore witness to both victory and defeat says Payne.

Moroney  has certainly seen lots of action! Early on he got to see one of his clients, Canadian moguls skier, Jen Heil take home Canada’s first medal of the games (a silver). Following that, Canadian skeleton rider Jon Montgomery took home a gold .

“Canada’s looking really strong,” said Moroney of Canada’s bobsleigh teams. “We’ve got two strong teams and I think they can both compete for medals.”

Women’s bobsleigh teams of course went on to win gold (Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse)  & silver (Helen Upperton and Shelly-Ann Brown) on Wednesday night in a race marked by yet more spectacular spills on the Whistler track.

With the highs came the lows. The most tragic of course was the death of the Georgian luger (two weeks today), and the disappointing defeat of the medal hopeful two-man bobsled team that was taken out by a spectacular crash.

No doubt Moroney will be standing by as the four-man bobsleigh heats start today with the medal event  scheduled for 27th at Feb. 27, 2:40 pm.

Great work Damien!

Read Colin Payne’s article at Nelson Daily News

Today, when Julia Murray finished her final ski cross run she told reporters that she had her physio to thank for keeping her in the Games. Chris Napier worked with Julia this past month to ensure she could compete, just weeks after her torn ACL.  See Chris and Julia featured on Global TV last night http://tinyurl.com/ycafa6v click the Feb 22 show and scroll to near the end.

Last night, Tessa Virtue also thanked her physio as all eyes watch when she and Scott Moir came off the rink with a gold medal win.

As we say in our new TV ad, “behind every athlete is a physiotherapist.”

Physio Damien Moroney is featured in local media for his role in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Moroney has been working with bobsledders, Helen Upperton and Lyndon Rush, as well as skeleton riders Jeff Pain and Michelle Kelly for the past year and a half helping them reach their highest levels of performance as they pushed toward the games.

photo by Colin Payne

In the article, Moroney said it has been an interesting journey watching these athletes hone their performance and learning about what it takes to ride the rails. He even had the opportunity to ride down in a bobsled on the Whistler track with Upperton and says “it’s an experience, for sure. I learned the nature of the stress on the body. Supposedly, they hit five Gs and they do about 150 kilometres per hour.”

Much has been said about the fast sliding track at Whistler. Friday’s death of the Georgian luger is a tragic reminder of the extreme nature of these sports.

Read more of Colin Payne’s article at the Nelson Daily News.

Says the Vernon Morning Star in a feature about the Okanagan flavour at the games.

“I have direct contact with the athletes. I’m trying to get them to perform at their highest level.” Says Steve.

PABC member Steve Witvoet will be rubbing shoulders (as well as other parts) with the world’s best long-track speed skaters at the Vancouver Olympics. The Vernon physiotherapist  helps athletes prepare to be at their best for the competition at the Richmond Olympic Oval (ROO). Read more  in the Vernon Morning Star.

Hot.

Jen Jones

PABC member Jen Jones is featured in local media .  She will be part of a trio of medical professionals based in South Delta that will help heal injured hockey players during the games.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Jones, who grew up watching hockey. Read her feature in the South Delta Leader.

AND (just added) the Cambell River Mirror.

Sport Physiotherapy Canada (SPC) launched their new website last week with feature articles from three sports physios involved in the 2010 games. There are about 92 certified sportphysios from across Canada working at the 2010 games.

SPC's New Website - Hompage

Here are some highlights:

Maggie Phillips-Scarlett writes about her experience working with  Canadian para-alpine ski team team She has been with the team since 2005, initially as the strength & conditioning coach and is now team physiotherapist.  The team consists of 13 athletes, men and women with an array of injuries to manage. There are 3 categories including visually impaired, standing (ie. amputees,), and sitting (ie. spinal cord injuries or congenital birth defects). Read more of her inspiring words!

Shane Munro has been involved with the national Cross Country Skiing team for 5 years, since before the Torino Olympics.  Shane will be with the team at Games in Whistler. Read his feature at sportphysio.ca and check  out his website at www.ascentphysio.com for regular updates throughout the games. You can also see his work with the team on YouTube!

Read  Guylaine Boutin ‘s inspirational story about carrying the Olympic Torch: The Olympic Dream:  in Different Forms / Le rêve olympique : sous différentes saveurs sous différentes formes . Guylaine, a lifelong  athlete and dedicated sport physio carried the flame on Dec 7th 2009 for her son who was too young to carry the torch.  Merci Guylaine!

Thank you for your stories! PABC wishes you all the best at the games. Go Sport Physios!