West alumni Dr. Richard Robinson (’96) and Dr. Garrett Neff (’10) provided
care to the Canadian team that competed in the 2011 World Cup Freestyle
competition at WinSport Canada’s Canada Olympic Park, Jan. 27-29, in Calgary,
Alb., Canada.
Dr.
Robinson, clinic director at Calgary Sports Therapy, has served as
“Chiropractor/Core Medical Team Member” for the Canadian National Freestyle Ski
Team since 2000.
“We have approximately 50 skiers on the Canadian World
Cup and “development” teams who compete in the aerial and mogul events, and
virtually every member utilizes chiropractic care during the course of the
season,” said Dr. Robinson, who also served in a similar “chiropractor/core
medical team member” role at the longtrack speed skating World Championships at
the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Feb. 12-13.
“The very nature of the freestyle events, where
athletes subject their bodies to rapid-fire twist and torque, lends itself to
chiropractic care -- which explains why I’m always one of the busiest members of
the core medical team.”
Dr. Neff, now a fulltime member of the Calgary Sports
Therapy team, assisted Dr. Robinson with care for the Canadian freestyle team at
the World Cup freestyle event for the second year in a row.
"It was such an
incredible experience and exciting opportunity for me to work with national and
Olympic-level athletes, just one month after graduation,” said Dr. Neff, a
member of the Fall ’10 class.
“My care involved taping before training or
competition, and treating the athletes in the evening. I worked closely with
such athletes as Jenn Heil (moguls silver medalist at the 2010 Winter Games in
Vancouver, B.C., and recent gold medalist at World Championships in Deer Valley,
Utah), and Warren Shouldice (aerials gold medalist at the January World Cup in
Calgary, and recent gold medalist and World Record Holder at World Championships
in Deer Valley, Utah)”.
Dr. Neff was an active Sports Council member
throughout his West Campus experience, including serving as an executive
officer. He considers it an honor to now work with Dr. Robinson, who was
instrumental in establishing the Sports Council in 1994.
“It's hard to imagine
that only three years ago I was merely dreaming of such an opportunity, and even
today it's pretty surreal. I can honestly say I owe everything to our Sports
Council, and Dr. Robinson, for turning so many dreams like mine into such
realities. The education and experience I gained by being a part of the West
Campus Sports Council is simply untouchable!"
“I continue to be impressed by the sports chiropractic
program at the West Campus, and as the program continues to evolve and expand,
so does the quality of graduate, Dr. Neff being another example, which bodes
well for the future of the profession, and the continued advance of sports
chiropractic,” said Dr. Robinson, three-time member of the Canadian Olympic core
medical team, who helped establish the West Campus Sports Council, and has
returned annually to help teach part of the Sports Chiropractic elective, as
well as serve as field clinician at various Sports Council events.
“I’m fortunate to have
achieved many of my career goals. As I move forward in my career, I want to
‘pass the torch’ on to qualified sports chiropractors, such as Garrett, and
similar skilled Sports Council graduates from Palmer West, whom I’m confident
will continue to ‘raise the bar,’ and advance sports chiropractic’s place on the
sports stage around the world.”