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.