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From jump-starting the
athletes to help reach the finish line through chiropractic healthcare services
to jump-starting the battery of a stalled paramedics truck, the West Campus
Sports Council kept things rolling once again at the 2011 Sea Otter Classic,
held April 14-17 on the grounds of the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in
Monterey, Calif.
This
marked the ninth year in a row that the West Campus Sports Council has served as
the primary sport care provider for the “celebration of cycling” that brings
nearly 10,000 riders and approximately 50,000 spectators to the largest event of
its type in the western United States, which also marks the annual start of the
U.S. cycling season.
The West Campus Sports Council has served as the
primary sports care provider at every Sea Otter event since 2003. In addition to
providing pre- and post-race care for the riders at tents posted at two
locations on the expansive Raceway grounds, the Sports Council team also has
“first responder” duties at courses for the various events, which range from
traditional European-style road racing to contemporary events, including
downhill, dual slalom, mountain cross and jumps.
All of which keeps the
Council quite busy. Due to the expansive size of the Sea Otter event (which
utilizes not only the main track, but most of the 500 acres of the collective
Laguna Seca property), the Council maintains two locations, and provided care
for approximately 200 people during the four days. More than 50 students filled
the roles of intern, observer and tent managers.
“This was another
fabulous Sea Otter experience. Each year our students improve on the process,
and this year was no exception,” said Ed Feinberg, D.C., West Campus professor
and Sports Council faculty adviser. “I was particularly impressed with the
diligence and compassion demonstrated by our students. They worked very hard and
demonstrated the qualities that create wonderful, successful sports
chiropractors.”
“The
Sea Otter is our most exciting event of the year, because we see so many
different conditions during the four days of the races, which enables us to
apply our skills and knowledge in a challenging and fast-paced setting,” said
Ben Stevens, West Campus Sports Council president. “I’m proud of the effort by
the collective Council members who participated, for continuing the Sports
Council tradition of delivering quality, caring services to each person who
visited our tent for care. I also want to acknowledge Mike Caione, in
particular, for a great job as event coordinator for what is annually our
biggest and busiest event of the year, which requires a lot of planning and
preparation.”
Event
clinicians included West Campus faculty members Dr. Feinberg; Mehdi Moossavi,
D.C. (who has attended every Sea Otter at which the Council has provided care);
Jonathan Slater, D.C., West ’97; Karen Roitz, D.C., West ’96; and Hal Rosenberg,
D.C., West ’01.
For
the third year in a row, Michael Lord, D.C., West ’10, served as the Sea Otter’s
medical coordinator, overseeing the various agencies that are involved with
providing medical and emergency services, including the Sports Council, EMTs,
the Monterey County Rural Fire Department, the local ski patrol and others.
“The Sports Council has become a staple of the Sea
Otter Classic, and, as always, they did another great job at this year’s event,”
said Dr. Lord, a past Sports Council president who practices with Dr. Rosenberg
and two other West Campus alumni (Dr. Taylor Rabbetz and Dr. Daniel Lord) at
Chiro-Medical Group in San Francisco. “We have people who return every year to
get treated. I think that it speaks to the high level of care that the Sports
Council provides.”
In
addition to providing traditional chiropractic care, along with various
soft-tissue therapies, the Sports Council tents also saw a steady flow of
patients coming in for care related to concussions, fractures, shoulder
separations, dehydration and various other race-related conditions.
“The best part of
organizing the medical for the sea otter classic is that everyone works so well
together,” said Dr. Lord, who succeeded Dr. Goldi Jacques Maynes, ’07 West
alumna, who also served as Sports Council president, as Sea Otter medical
coordinator in 2008. “The coordination is seamless between the various groups
when responding to an injured athlete. Each group knows their role and is really
focused on getting the patient the care they need."
“The Sea Otter is such a
great event because our students are exposed to so many different clinical
situations, and they also learn what it’s like to work as part of a
multidisciplinary team,” said Dr. Feinberg. “As one of their instructors at the
College, and as the faculty adviser to the Council, I’m always filled with a
great sense of pride as I observe the students demonstrate their skills with
great clinical competency. We can all take great pride in the manner in which
the Council represents Palmer and the chiropractic profession.”