theNYCphysio

The two teams I generally travel with most are US Snowboarding and USA Track & Field. As one is technically a winter sport and the other a summer sport, the two rarely coincide. This year, they finally overlapped with a meeting in Park City and an event in Bermuda immediately following.

Every year or so, US Ski and Snowboarding hosts a course called Medical Emergencies for Skiers and Snowboarders (MESS). All medical providers (ATCs/PTs) for their teams are required to attend this course every 3 years to remain current as part of their medical pool. It’s a great course that highlights the skills and knowledge we need to cover their teams. For me, it also doubles up as an emergency response course that is required for my board certification as a sports physical therapist. 

Over the years, this course has changed. Originally it was combined with the MD medical pool that was hosted at the Steadman Clinic in Vail. Back then, we worked together and performed practical emergency situations on-mountain such as evaluating injuries on the snow, spine boarding, or even removing athletes from the A/B netting. Today, our courses are separate and more specific to our duties on and off the mountain. 

Immediately following the MESS course, I took a redeye from Salt Lake City to Bermuda for the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix. This was my first time in Bermuda and meant that I now visited each corner of the Bermuda Triangle!

USATF had a full staff covering the event as it was recently upgraded to a World Athletics Gold level meet. The medical staff was me, a couple of chiros, a massage therapist, and a few athletic trainers. Our hotel was amazing as it was near the airport and directly on the water.

As with most events, we typically treat at the hotel and move to the track during competition. Generally each of our tables are occupied with an athlete at all times. So it can get tiresome by the end of the event.

On the second day, they decided to have me and the massage therapist hang back at the hotel in case any athletes wanted treatments. I believe most athletes that day went to practice at the track, so we were fairly slow at the hotel. Once finished, we had a lot of time before our evening shift. So my colleague and I decided to rent mopeds to see the island.

I never drove a moped in my life. So it took time getting used to while practicing in the parking lot. When we finally exited onto the road, it dawned on me that Bermuda was a British territory. We had to drive on the opposite (left) side of the road! Luckily, my colleague led the way so my confusion quickly vanished. This allowed me to enjoy the ride and the views. Along the way, we visited their infamous “pink” sand beaches and a few old forts. It was definitely a ride I will remember as I don’t always get a chance to really explore when I am working.

The next day, the meet went by quickly since we were all busy throughout the meet. So much so that we didn’t really get to see any of the events. Nevertheless, it went smoothly.

As I flew home, I thought that it was crazy that I had never been to the Bermuda. Bermuda was only a quick flight to paradise and I never had visited. It was a beautiful island and worth the visit. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to visit again. Especially on two wheels.