The Trip of a Lifetime!

So sadly my trip has come to an end! This final week of my Canadian adventure has been the perfect way to conclude what has been the most memorable experience. After 4 weeks of what i've previously called 'controlled chaos' at the Greenshield Clinic, this final week has been the complete opposite.

On Monday, I took a three and half hour train ride from Windsor to Oakville, a suburb outside of Toronto. It is home of the renowned athletic therapy school called Sheridan College. After a cooling off day at my accomodation, I wandered down into Oakville town eventually after walking 2km in the wrong direction, being confused by the green road signs. A scenic town with quaint little shops, I was impressed by the selection of bars and restaurants on offer. The regular bus service around the town allowed me to quickly shoot back and forth and explore.

Wednesday was college day! I went to the college with a member of teaching staff there and was timetabled for the day to experience each different module that the students could take through the 4 years of their course. The day started with me explaining my story from start of degree to end and how I was now in front of them in Canada. My Q&A session was greeted with a round of applause and I moved on to the next practical sessions; Emergency procedures, flexibility practical and cold modalities. Each one I had an opportunity to particiapte with the students in class and speak to them about their course and he comparisons to my studies.

After a taping session, I had the chance to sit in and contribute to a case conference ahead of the open clinic sessions heldat the college. Some cases were just beautiful, complete knee ligament rupture being one..

After my day at the college, we shifted swiftly to Toronto City. Reason being; field passes to batting practice to the Toronto BlueJays match. I had a small time to talk to the Athletic Therapists, George and Frosty and their intern Tommy, who was a 3rd year from Sheridan College.

Thursday was another chill day where I did some shopping at the local mall. Friday was Toronto Adventure day! I took this chance to hit CN Tower and Ripleys aquarium as well as the Real Sports Bar for chicken wings and the famous Steam Whistle Brewery. Time beat me to the Hockey Hall of Fame however a rucksack of souvenirs made up for it!

Saturday was Niagara Falls day. If you haven't been it is quite possibly the greatest natural site you'll ever get to visit. The overwhelming power of the falls gives you shivers down your spine nevermind the wet hair after the Hornblower trip! My time at Niagara allowed me to taste Canada's Poutine plus a visit to the Herseys Factory!

And my final call had taken me to the Canadian Football Team, Hamilton TigerCats. Backroom access and player interaction was on the menu, for starters; therapist shadowing and a tour of the brand new Tim Hortons Field. Main course, helping out pitchside during the match, in which we won comprehensively! Desert, complimentary CFL stash.

I've had a very busy week with long days though i'd have it no other way! It has capped off what has been an amazing 5 weeks here in Canada.

A huge thanks is in order to everybody who has made this trip possible and to those who have welcomed me into their establishments in both Windsor and Oakville; without them I'd not be writing this now!

I hope you've enjoyed my script from Oxstalls to Ontario.
It's been a blast and I hope to return soon!

Sports Therapy Love, 
Canada.

In love with Loaring.

Loaring Physiotherapy clinic was a place which I was looking forward to seeing before my trip had began!

Offering physiotherapy to all walks of life, I had seen things from a brand new perspective, after being involved in sport throughout my degree and study time. I had met some truly inspirational patients, some with rare debilitating conditions to people who had fallen off ladders to those with complete joint replacements and even the younger athlete. 

Charlotte Loaring and her incredible members of staff welcomed me as if part of their team. I acheived my goal of learning at least one thing from each member of staff, and will definately be using those skills and knowledge when im practcing myself!
Huge thanks goes out to everyone at Loaring for such an awesome day!

After my day, I travelled back to the WFCU Centre to attend an exhibition match with Dave to relax a bit and see Joey again. We had front row tickets which meant we could see the huge face crushing hits going in from time to time as well as the net ripping shots firing in. Spits win 5-2!

The end of my Windsor experience is quickly approaching, where on Monday I travel to Oakville near Toronto for a final few days.

Blue & Gold! Spat, Spat!

My first American Football match was incredible! From pre match to finish, the atmosphere was immense with a decent crowd in attendance and the lancers were pumped and ready to go, after a solid few weeks of training camp!

Pre match I provided some taping and stretches for the players but also I was introduced to a taping concept called Spats. More like a snug covering over boot and ankle, they were requested quite frequently by the players looking for more support but also just to get a slick, tidy look to match their pads and kit! I wasn't too sure! After the warm ups were done and the players lined up in the inflatable tunnel and emerged like professionals with smoke and music!

The brand new matt blue helmets were looking sublime as the sun tinted off the gloss Lancers logo. 

The wind played a huge part in the match with teams only scoring with the wind. Lancers picked up a  90 yard touchdown to take a half time lead, though this wasn't enough as, the appropiately named, Queens Gaels picked up a 3rd quarter touchdown against the breeze to seal a high scoring win, 30- 39. 

I was called into action a few times during the match, attending to a few bumps and knocks on the pitch, having to remove a few due to their injuries.  My experience in rugby had implanted a 'attend to injuries in play' approach which was hard to resist as the referees needed to call us on!

I loved the day and can't wait for the Lancers second match tomorrow! The atmosphere was something I thrive off! A much needed win is required after a disappointing first match loss. 

Super Spitfires.

Joey Garland arrived at my accomodation on Monday at 7:30am ready to take me to the home of the Windsor Spitfires for the first time. A short journey to the WFCU Centre allowed me to briefly 'break the ice' with Joey (apologies for the pun) and establish what we had planned for the next few days.
Monday was fitness testing like pull ups, bench press and 5-10-5 agility (FMS

included), Tuesday and Wednesday more of a shadow and watch days, taking in what the Canadian Ice Hockey environment was like and watch a few trial games, then Thursday was the final Blue vs White game to make the players to make the final cut for the team squad.

 Even though this is an amateur club, I was surrounded by top class facilities and staff for my duration and I couldn't stop thinking that it was in a setup like that which I wish to work in the future. Joey had regular contact with potential NHL players, a few who had been first round draft picks, and some time with a player from the New Jersey Devils, who was a product of the Windsor Spitfires before.

I throughly enjoyed watching the ice hockey matches, and as expected, there was typical bout of fisty cuffs, resulting in blood stained kit and bashed up faces to deal with. The game is really fast with huge impacts against the boards and pucks flying around at 100mph. In addition these fearless ice warriors were huge; most greater than 6foot tall and weighing about 16 stone which further impressed me as they swooshed around the rink with minimal effort.

During the main season all this quality skill is on show in front of around 6000 seated spectators and a live TV audience each week...

.. and they are all between 15 and 20 years old. 

Incredible.

To close, I would like to hand great thanks to Joey for giving me this 'behind the scenes' pass and developing my learning experiences and also the players and other members of the Spits for making me feel so welcome over the last week, I've learnt a lot about where I want my future career path to lead to and I wish them the best for the upcoming season.

Take a look at http://www.windsorspitfires.com/ for more information!

Which football do you play?

What a week! Football camp finished today after a brutal week of four hour long training sessions in the morning and play walkthroughs in the evening.



Morning practice started at 8 which tested players but also those who helped out too! Awake at 5.30 to be at the university for 6.30, allowing for enough time to tape and treat any players before their session. Around 30 players steadily walked or stumbled through the doors, offering much opportuity to improve my taping skills.


I was suprised to find this heavy contact sport was played on artificial rubber crumb turf, meaning regular treatment of grazes and skin burns at pitchside and in the clinic. The combination of intense heat and long duration of training proved challenging for some, with muscle strains and dehydration always threatening; mid session scrimmage keeping pitchsider's active.

As the week passed by more injuries were seen, but not just from the american football but the football we otherwise know. Many time i've been corrected by either party which football is the correct one, sometimes opting to use the dreaded 'soccer' word to stay in good faith with the gridiron giants!

They too have had double training sessions this week, for both men and womens teams, as well as both travelling away to play three matches in three days. As you can imagine, it has been injuries galore after such high intensity; with every thing from gashed heads to finger dislocations, real dead legs to ligament sprains. This said, blisters have been a metaphorical thorn in ones gluteus.

However, over the weekend things have calmed down slightly as some practices have been rearranged or cancelled and some more video anlaysis and recovery sessions utilised instead.

I cannot wait for this week, as I get to experience the Windsor Spitfires Ice Hockey setup!
I would also like to apologise for the lack of Twitter posts! Clinic time has seemingly took over for the moment, though i'll keep you posted through tweet announcements!

Thanks!

Calm before the Storm

I've been in Windsor, Canada for four days and what can I say?! It is wonderful! For the short time I have been here, my jaw has remained open in awe of everything. The shops and restaurants are quaint with their own unique qualities whilst the houses and cars are brash and bold. The weather is superbly warm with a slight breeze, which dies down to a sticky heat late in the evening.

Following touchdown in Detroit, we travelled safely north across the river to Windsor. My first experience of the university came the next day, taking the very short journey to Out House to meet numerous staff and players for the first time, before watching an exhibition Basketball match in the evening. During the game I got to know Dave, who is a colleague of Kathy's in the Sports Therapy clinic here. The match was epic, a close one up until late in the 3rd quarter where the Lancers took charge and eased to a pre season victory!

I've had the opportunity to visit the local mall, allowing me to spend some cash on souvenirs and bargain clothing from American Eagle and Roots, whilst noshing on some 'New York' fries before heading into the U again.

Spending time at the clinic, I've been lucky enough to observe and learn from Kathy and Dave, picking up on subtle differences in style and technique through which they operate; utilising kinetic fascial chains and biomechanics.
Tape has a massive part to play as well, not just in joint proprioception but mechanics too allowing me to acquire new found tape skills and ultimately adapting my current abilities. Being around the clinic during the day has allowed  me to brush up on my electrotherapy modalities too, self-testing new setups.

Though the most interesting thing is being around and speaking to the student athletes and admiring their commitment and focus to studying and to playing sport at such a high level; a culture which is vastly different to the UK.

So today the clinic was tidied, cleaned and organised ready the the massive onslaught of gridiron and football players coming in on Monday. This is the last 'late' start before 6.30 opening and 12-14 hours of controlled chaos.

This is just a short update about the first few days of my stay, whilst the jet lag bites, though I can guarantee much more gossip once the pre season camps begin! More and better pictures to come!

"Friends and Family; Family and Friends"

"Boarding Pass, Please?"

Leaving my wonderful family at Cardiff airport this morning was one of the hardest things i've done, holding back the flood of emotion as I turned away into customs. Sadly, wasted a whole bottle of Sprite due to the liquid law, which is seriously annoying, and took my seat in the miniature departure lounge. It was buzzing, up until the flight to mainland Spain left, which left me and about 50 others heading to Amsterdam.
After finding my seat next to the window, the CityHopper, took me swiftly and contently to the Netherlands, where I touched down smoothly though greeted with torrential rain!

Following the short bus journey from the plane park, I was absolutely blown away by the size of the airport, multiple lounges, a casino and cocktail bars. I imagine many of my friends won't believe me when I decided to be conservative and tuck into a 9euro breakfast and made myself comfy for the duration. At this point, I utilised the free wifi for a while before heading to gate E07 where I boarded the big daddy plane compared to the junior hopper earlier on. A huge flashback of my first flight to the USA came to me sitting in the boarding lounge, seeing juniors group up and rush onto the air craft.

On board, I made myself comfortable, placing my bag beneath me with easy access to music and entertainment of my own a well as the complimentary service provided by the seat screen. Take off was brilliant, with the pilot giving it some proper welly and away we were. I know had 7 hours and 49 minutes to kill. I browsed the selection of movies, which i must praise highly, utimately choosing from the latest bond thriller, Skyfall and my favourite, 21 Jump Street. I must admit I couldn't get very comfortable sitting in aisle seat of the centre section and sleeping was difficult, opting for the fold down table as the best solution, after the neighbouring Norweigan ladies arm as comfort. Perhaps I should've listened to mama Gaunt on the neck pillow over squishy sausage cushion!

Though comfort wasn't great, food and drink was very suprising, having sweet and sour chicken for lunch and chicken calzone for tea, both of which actually tasted decent!

And that brings you to where we are now. I'm currently writing this on board Airbus 330 (I think it is) with about an half hour to go! (obviously posted when touched down with wi-fi signal).

Really excited to meet the lovely Kathy once again, and her husband John, who will be looking after me for the majority of my stay. I would also like to take another opportunity to thank my family and friends for being so supportive over the last month building up to my departure, it's made things way easier!

Next post will be in Canada now, hope you enjoyed me flight commentary and thanks for reading!
Speak soon,
Adam

Ready to go!

Just a quick update before the travelling madness begins early Tuesday morning!

I am really excited to get going now, the last month has been manic with a massive influx of email traffic and multiple phone calls organising flights and insurance. Having to acquire three different currencies was, shall I say, different; seeing the faces of the Kiosk Assistant made it worth it, seen as i removed the monotony of giving out Euros to those on late getaway deals.
The delivery man has also been pretty busy making regular visits to my address with various gadgets and sports stash ordered online.

Though buying new items to go away with is a thrill, by far the worst task of travelling is of course packing it all away. With the weight and dimension restrictions, my ever growing wardrobe has struggled to fit into my big blue wheeler bag, resulting in already breaking a cheap luggage scale.
One thing which is now different, flying to the US is the gadget battery check at the gate. Something which I slightly fear due to the clear queue backlog but mostly because I've been using my girlfriend's bright pink iPod for the last six months, and presenting that to the Dutch airline lady may offer some peculiar looks.

My flight out from Cardiff is at 06:05, arriving in Amsterdam at 08:30. I have plenty of time to kill in Amsterdam, leaving for Canada at 13:25, so i'm hoping the 12 films i've loaded on to my tablet will suffice.

Please stay tuned as I try to keep you updated on my experiences from now until the 17th September on my return!
I'll also be posting on Twitter, @adamgaunt2

Thanks for reading!

Welcome!

Welcome and thank you for visiting my blog page! 

For those of you that don't know me, my name is Adam and I have just finished my BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy degree from the University of Gloucestershire. I've had an amazing time and didn't want it to end!

So why am I writing this blog?

Well, coming to the end of my degree I was encouraged to apply for the Society of Sports Therapists (SST) Graduate Travelling scholarship, which is offered to one graduate each year. Candidates from across the UK studying the same course accredited by SST get to apply and have the opportunity to partake in an experience only five others have had before;

6 weeks experiencing Canadian sport in the best athletic and physiotherapy facilities there are, alongside the best clinicians and therapists. 

Luckily the hard work, determination and pure guile paid off and led me to the final interview stage with four other fantastic students. I had ridiculously clammy palms as my father and I arrived at the Business Centre in Luton. The interview was 45 minutes but it felt more like 4. We had an agonising two hour wait before the jubilation and a sickly warm feeling hit me as my name was announced as the chosen student to represent the SST and UoG in Canada!

So, here we are now! 

At this stage, we are approximately three weeks away from that first flight out, and the excitement is building! E-tickets in hand and seat numbers confirmed. The familiar sense of butterflies in the stomach returns just imaging what it's going to be like!

I would just like to thank everybody who has supported and guided me through my time in University, lecturers, work colleagues and the unbreakable bond with my SPT friends too! A huge recognition goes to the SST, Professor Graham Smith and Kathy Harvie who have given me this chance to travel and do what I love in a such a unique setting!

Of course I cannot express my thanks enough to my loving family and wonderful girlfriend for being there when they're needed most though they terrify at the thought of me going away! Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today!

Please keep posted on here and Twitter, @adamgaunt2 as I share with you, the trip of a lifetime.