New Jersey Jewish News
Sports Story
Memories of Torino
“Check your ego at the door.”
For nearly one full month in February, that was the one unwavering mantra that every member of the United States Olympic medical staff followed throughout the winter games in Italy.
In every sense, we were a team, dedicated to the success of every American athlete who trained so hard and sacrificed so much to earn the right to represent the United States at the world’s greatest international competition.
As a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic medical staff, including the summer games of 2004 and now the 2006 winter games, I was not only awarded the honor to represent our country, but the privilege to experience the games through the eyes, thoughts, and emotions of more than 750 American athletes, coaches, trainers, and medical personnel attending the games.
It’s an amazing, harmonizing feeling that could never be captured by even the most ardent television follower. Trust me, you will meet few individuals who are more passionate about winning or supportive of the efforts of everyone involved.
I know this for a fact since I lived with these individuals for four weeks in a six-floor, two-building apartment complex that housed most of our American team. You cannot imagine the amazement of watching film and talking hockey strategy with such roommates as Paul Holmgren, former NHL hockey player, coach, and current associate general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, or Keith Allain, a coach for the St. Louis Blues. Or the thrill of receiving tickets from American gold medalist Eric Heiden so I could attend the speed-skating event with ice-dancing silver medalists skaters Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.
However, despite the thrills and the camaraderie, the pressure is also on from the moment you step off the plane. Throughout the Olympics, there is only one goal: to help our athletes win. As only the ninth chiropractor ever chosen to serve on the medical staff of a U.S. Olympic team, this means working from dawn until deep into the night with any or all the athletes, treating injuries ranging from sprains to bruises or, if need be, even carrying towels or ice to help the other doctors.
It was not all glamour, but there were numerous rewarding moments. As Pete Fensen, skipper of the only American curling team to ever win an Olympic medal, said to me, “Without the constant chiropractic care I received from you, there is no way we could have competed at this level and won.”
In addition, I need to thank the USOC and everyone associated with our Olympic effort for the honor of representing this country on behalf of my profession. I could not have been treated better, offered more respect, or made to feel safer on foreign soil.
Through it all, there was the constant revelation that these are simply ordinary people who can do extraordinary things. Also unforgettable are the grace, style, and courtesy all these individuals exhibited before, during, and after their respective events. This to me will always be even more memorable than the trip or events themselves.
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