SportMedBC’s Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday September 25th in North Vancouver at the North Shore Winter Club.
Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. David Cox, kicked things off by welcoming the members and guests who were in attendance and thanked those who stayed on after taking in a pair of soccer-related injury workshops throughout the day. In his opening remarks, Dr. Cox reflected on how the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were an enormous success from a medical services perspective.
A highlight of the meeting was a short but spirited presentation made by Vancouver 2010’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jack Taunton. Dr. Taunton provided an overview of the planning, recruiting, fundraising and training that he, along with the medical services team coordinated over the four years leading up to the Games. With a volunteer base of 1560 for the Olympics and 882 for the Paralympics, it was safe to say that a significant percentage of BC’s network of sports medicine and science practitioners volunteered their time and expertise as Vancouver and Whistler hosted the world.
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SportMedBC’s long-time CEO Lynda Cannell focused her remarks on how the provincial and national sport medicine communities benefited from the Olympic and Paralympic experience. She congratulated Dr. Taunton, Dr. Mike Wilkinson and physiotherapist Rick Celebrini for the leadership they provided during the lead up and throughout the Games and acknowledged the medical services team for a job well done; a team that was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the BEST medical group they had ever worked with!
SportMedBC Program Reports
D’arcey Musselman (SportMed Performance Manager) highlighted the continued work in support of the provincial high-performance sport system. Annual medical and functional assessments continue to be strongly encouraged for all performance athletes in the system.
SportMed Safety Manager Gavin Leung reported on the partnerships he has been developing with provincial sport organizations like BC Soccer and Football BC, promoting sport safety best practices and providing educational opportunities for their coaches to become more knowledgeable in sports first aid and injury prevention.
SportMed’s RunWalk program continues to provide support for thousands of British Columbians who are interested in becoming physically active. RunWalk coach Lynn Kanuka explained one participant’s challenge to illustrate the significant impact that SportMedBC programs have on the general population and the health benefits that ensure as a result.
Mike Martignago (SportMedBC’s Manager of Communications) closed with a description of SportMedBC’s plans for the ongoing development of their website (sportmedbc.com), its online communities and the expanded use of various social media platforms.
Awards and Recognition
For 2010, it was decided not to single out a specific individual for recognition, but to simply acknowledge the achievements of the entire network of sport medicine and science practitioners for all of their contributions in support of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Dr. David Cox once again thanked Dr. Jack Taunton, Dr. Mike Wilkinson and Rick Celebrini for the many personal sacrifices that they made along the way to lead the medical services team.
Nominations and Elections
With physiotherapist Holly Eburne and athletic therapist Deanna Schick stepping down from the SportMedBC Board of Directors, two new board members were elected and introduced at the meeting. Dr. Christopher MacLean, a biomechanist and Director of Biomechanics with Paris Orthotics and Corry Pettigrew, an athletic therapist at Performance Posture in Vancouver, were elected to two-year terms.
The first board meeting with its newest members will take place at the end of October 2010.
Adjournment
As the meeting adjourned, it was announced that the Saturday date for SportMedBC’s Annual General Meeting was a success. The 2011 AGM would take place on Saturday, September 24th.
