Ted Hirschfeld, Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers athletic trainer, embarked on an amazing opportunity with the United States Olympic Commitee (USOC) Volunteer Athletic Training Program this year. For 9 days, Ted volunteered his athletic training services to the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs. This was Ted’s second time volunteering with the USOC and he found the experience extremely gratifying yet again. Below are his comments on his time at the OTC:
The OTC in Colorado Springs has changed quite a bit from my first volunteering experience…the clinic moved a street over and is now more of an outpatient therapy center than an “athletic training room.” I was there 9 days, stayed in one of the onsite dorms, and I had unlimited access to their cafeteria. I was in the OTC clinic from 8:00 to 9:00 or 10:00am depending on the team practices that were going on. I worked practices for teams including the resident gymnasts, Greco-roman & freestyle wrestling, & U-16 women’s basketball. I went to lunch at 1:00pm and was back in the clinic till 2:30pm or 4:00pm depending on late afternoon practices. Most practices were done at 6:00pm and the clinic closed at 6:00pm. I would go eat dinner and then head back to my room to relax. I had the opportunity to work with another volunteer athletic trainer, physician, and chiropractor during my stay.
The OTC clinic was definitely upgraded from my previous visit. The clinic has an x-ray facility onsite now as well as diagnostic ultrasound. This was extremely cool to see in use. Before I arrived they emailed me info on the Olympic drug testing program and recommended that I become familiar with the web site so I could determine if any drugs were banned if asked by an athlete. On my first day, I watched a video and learned how to spine board a gymnast with a potential c-spine [neck] injury in the gymnastics “pit” next to bars. The video was extremely helpful and was a great review regarding complications that could arise while immobilizing an athlete in a foam pit.
When I arrived, all the volunteers were given an “on-call” schedule. We rotated who took the “on-call cell phone” in case there was an issue with an athlete overnight. Usually an athlete would call the front desk of the athlete center and they would triage as appropriate. A call would come the Sports Medicine Clinic’s way if an overnight injury occurred and the athlete needed immediate first aid or evaluation.
During my time I interacted with many athletes including a para-Olympic cyclist that was born without a left forearm from the elbow down. I had a truly amazing and educational experience at the OTC and would recommend the volunteer program in Colorado Springs to any athletic trainer or medical profession seeking a truly unique sports medicine experience. For more information on the USOC Volunteer Athletic Training Program visit: www.teamusa.org/medical/volunteers.
