A journey ignited The profession’s road to the Olympics Olympic Games, a celebration is going on in the large hall beneath the stadium floor. The Canadian team has been gathering for two hours prior to the ceremonies. With them, tonight, are people who have worked tirelessly to support these athletes – including a number of chiropractors. The games have been particularly special for several ‘firsts’ O that have been witnessed on the international stage, as well as those that, while of import to the proceedings, have not been as widely publicized. One of these behind-the-scenes firsts is that, in addition to DCs working with various in- dividual teams, chiropractic has also been included within the Host Medical Services for the Games, both Olympic and Paralympic. Now, DCs who have served in an official capac- ity share in the jubilant and relaxed mood that pervades the pre-ceremony party with the Canadian team. Although the stars are, obviously, the athletes, there is a realization that no one’s accomplishment is an isolated miracle, but the product of efforts on the part of all who have been involved. Dr. Greg Uchacz, president of the College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences of Canada (CCSS(C)), notes that this event was one of the highlights of the Games for him as a team chiropractor, as CCSS(C) president and as a member of the chiropractic community. “This was truly a high moment,” says Dr. Uchacz to Ca- nadian Chiropractor magazine. “The work had been done, everyone knew what the results had turned out to be – there was no tension or wondering. It was an opportunity to relax, enjoy and actually experience what was going on.” \UE service to Olympic athletes, behind this high moment. As Dr. Robert Armitage, Vancouver chiropractor and Supervisor of Chiropractic Services of the Host Medical Services for the Games, points out, “We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us.” For chiropractic, the road to these Winter Games has been a long one that has involved the struggles, work, study and endurance of many DCs. Canadian Chiropractor would like to take this opportunity to honour all those DCs who have had a role in establishing chiropractic services within the Olympic Games, a journey that has culminated in some definite triumphs at the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympics. They are too many to mention here, and so, we will focus on three Canadian fig- ures who pioneered chiropractic’s involvement in Olympic Games and/or have been instrumental in this journey. A LOOK AT THE EARLY DAYS Canadian Chiropractor caught up with Dr. Kenneth Mik- kelsen, a DC who has been involved with the Canadian | APRIL 2010 n the evening of February 28, as thousands of spec- tators bustle into BC Place Stadium in Vancouver for the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter feature
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