sportphysio2010

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’

Hi from Whistler.

It has been busy. Things in the Whistler polyclinic are chugging along. As with the Olympics we are seeing a lot of athletes from smaller countries such as Bulgaria and Kazakstan etc. Though this time around we have had quite a few Canadian athletes.

The real story of these Games is the athletes and their stories. From people who had an accident doing an extreme sport, those from Eastern Block countries injured by bombs and grenades, western world soldiers injured in battle overseas, to those born with their disability. They all have very different backgrounds, but have had the courage to ‘Soldier On’ through sport. For many sport is what has made the difference in their lives and help

The vibe is definitely different from the Olympics, but just as special. I was impressed with the crowds at the x-country and alpine events. Incredibly enthusiastic, lots of school groups. The kids were lined up to get autographs from athletes from all countries! We are lucky to have access to everything with our accreditation so being able to see these guys compete live has really helped to bring it full circle for me. You can’t help but be inspired by watching how hard they compete. The visually impaired skiiers on the downhill course are incredible, they fly!!

I got to watch Brian McKeevor win a gold medal live and then meet him in the clinic when he saw a colleague! That was pretty cool. Overall I have seen Canada win 3 gold medals!

Once again, like the Olympics, working with all the huge variety of disciplines in the Polyclinic as one equal team has been amazing. The exchange of ideas is pretty cool!

Cheers, Shandia
(sent from my Blackberry)

Shandia Cordingley is physio from Penticton, BC. She is volunteering at the Polyclinic in Whistler for both the Olympics and Paralympic Games

Maggie

There’s a physio behind that medal
and she’s one of our own!

Yesterday Silver medalist Viviane Forest won a bronze in the Women’s alpine giant salom event at Whistler. Forest was in fourth place after the first of her two runs, but was taken away by ambulance for medical assistance and physiotherapy after re-injuring her pulled groin. She returned to the event to win a bronze for Team Canada. The physio who helped her get back on track was BC sport physio Maggie Phillips-Scarlett.

Maggie Phillips-Scarlett has been working with the Canadian para-alpine ski team team since 2005, initially as the strength & conditioning coach but is now as their team physiotherapist. The team consists of 13 athletes, men and women. There are 3 categories including visually impaired, standing (ie. amputees,), and sitting (ie. spinal cord injuries or congenital birth defects). She admits there is a huge array of injuries to manage.

Maggie describes her experience with the team:

Our team trains year round~ when not on snow, they do an intensive dry land program which includes both strength and cardiovascular training as well as pre-hab training to prevent injuries. This is paramount particularly for the disabled athletes because there are so many over-use issues (ie. stump sores, rotator cuff streings.etc).

We’ve had a 4 year plan building up to 2010 so now that it’s here, it’s pretty exciting and at times, overwhelming. There is a different feel for 2010 vs. 2009…the intensity and pressure is increasing and it is felt on all levels! We have just returned from 3 weeks of racing on the world cup circuit in Europe. We had some amazing days and some awful days~ a good awakening of what Whistler could be like. There will be lots to deal with both emotionally, mentally and physically.

Overall though, the team is really excited and looking forward to putting their goals into action. We’ve all worked really hard to be where we are and all we can hope for is some good luck and that the hard work pays off!

On a personal note, Maggie says that working with the team has made her a better physio for a number of reasons. In her words:

1. It has made me very much aware that an impairment is not a limitation.

2. I now know that I’m never going to solve an injury/disability but if I ‘think outside the box’, more often than not, I will be able to figure out a solution that can help the athlete perform better at life and sport.

3. There’s no ‘cookie-cutter recipe’ for treatment~ everyone is an individual and has to be treated with this approach.

4. The value of listening is paramount. When I started with the team, I had very little experience with athletes who had disabilities~ but I vowed to listen and stay very open to learn from them for what their bodies’ required both from a training and a physio stand point. More often than not, the client always knows their body best~ so listening to their concerns is crucial for a successful treatment.

Maggie Phillips Scarlett completed her Honours of Kinesiology in Athletic Therapy at Acadia University(2000), Masters of Kinesiology in Sport Science at the University of Calgary (2004), and Masters of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia in 2007. When not traveling with the team (ie. 2 wks/month), Maggie works part-time at Reach Physiotherapy Solutions in Squamish, BC.

Note: I love these stories. Yesterday I emailed Maggie about writing a post based on the article she wrote for the sportphysio.ca website back in January. I knew she was up at Whistler and hoped she would be checking her email. When she replied with the ok, I asked if she knew the physio who was behind the Forest story (I had heard about it on CBC radio this morning). From her mobile phone she simply replied “oh that physio was me”.

Congrats to you Maggie and to the para-alpine team!

Read more about Viviane Forest‘s Bronze medal win in the Vancouver Sun. ‘Tough cookie’ Viviane Forest doesn’t crumble, wins her second

source:Vancouver Sun

medal of Games

Vivian (left) is pictured here with guide Lindsay Dubou

The second wave of the Games is underway and many of our PABC members are involved as they were in the Olympic Games. Here are a few unusual spots you’ll find them over these weeks.

We had two Paralympic torch bearers leading up to the Opening Ceremonies. John Cumberbirch of Surrey was selected to represent Sportability – CP Sports, in recognition of John devoting his career enriching the lives of children with special needs, in both his role as a dedicated and caring pediatric physiotherapist and his many hours spent as an International Classifier for CP Sports. And Louise Burton was “beyond excited” to be carrying the Paralympic torch during the 24 hour relay portion of the relay. Her application to “You Gotta Be Here” won her the spot. Now retired from Vernon Jubilee Hospital after 35 years, Louise is undertaking that all important role of retired physios – vacation relief for her colleagues!

Sharon Clarke is a Cross Country Canada Official Level 3- involved in Nordic sports; at the Paralympics she will be a member of the Timing team for XC skiing. During the Olympics, she was in Falun, Sweden as a Jury member for the Masters World Cup (MWC) in Cross Country Skiing.

Marilyn Atkinson is “very excited” to be working as a wax technician for the Chinese Paralympic cross country ski team, assisting her friend the wax coach for the team. Says Marilyn, “I have official credentials and everything!” Working part-time at Courtenay Physiotherapy, she has a few hours to devote to her Level 2 cross country ski coaching of a developmental program for 10-13 year olds of Strathcona Nordics Ski Club on Mt Washington, as well as competing in a few races a year as she has done since the 1960′s.

Barbara Picton is continuing her Olympic stint at the Athlete’s village into the Paralympics. She is in admin helping with logistics, but also covers the front end when more people are required. Some of the jobs have included hours breaking down cardboard boxes in the depths of an underground parking lot, completing inventory lists in the athlete’s rooms, welcoming athletes into the village and hauling luggage through the security checks, COC members to their meeting rooms, hauling cedar trees in tubs to pretty up the place, sponsors and partners around the Village, and issuing guest passes, “for which we had 1½ hours training from the RCMP in how to match people to passport photos – I now have a great respect for why they won’t allow us to smile anymore as it really does change the shape of the face.”

Alison Hoens provided training on the use of electrotherapeutic agents, and is an On Call specialist, “called when my area of expertise is required and/or helping out in the medical clinic in the Vancouver Village whenever I can.”

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

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!