Feature Member – Rick Celebrini

The life of Rick Celebrini is very fulfilling. Since 2003 Rick has been working towards PhD studies at the University of British Columbia. For most, such academic pursuits combined with running a business would be more than enough excitement--not for Rick. As a Sport Physiotherapy Canada (SPC) Diploma Credential holder, Rick has been immersed in Olympic preparation on the Medical Services team as the Chief Therapist and Manager of Medical Services for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Rick himself notes, “I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Of course, I was excited about the opportunity to showcase sport physiotherapy and our integrated therapy and medical teams. What I didn’t expect was my additional role as one of the three regional medical managers and the unique experience of working in such a fast paced, multi-level organization.”

The Medical Services team is one of 52 functions within the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee (VANOC) and others include legal, security, marketing, etc. Rick believes that this current opportunity will provide him with incredible skills well beyond the Olympic Games. Sport Physiotherapy Canada (SPC) and Canada’s sporting community will certainly benefit from the experience Rick is gaining as VANOC’s Chief Therapist.

Professionally, Rick has been a Team Therapist for the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team, a Rehabilitation Consultant for the Dallas Mavericks Basketball Team, Director of Sports Science at St. Paul’s Hospital Orthopaedic Medicine Clinic and currently owns his own rehabilitation consultant company.

All of this is still not enough to fill Rick’s plate. He is on the Board of Advisors for the Multisport Centre of Excellence, Co-director of Athletic Movement Rehabilitation and Conditioning (AMRC), a member of the Canadian Soccer Association, Long Term Athlete Development Team and much more.

The following are some of the presentations Rick has made in recent years:

• Pre-Olympic Congress-International Ice Hockey Federation, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2009. “Diagnosis and prevention of adductor injuries in elite hockey players”.

• Pre-Olympic Congress-Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2009. “Treatment of chronic adductor injuries”.

• World Congress of Athletic Training and Therapy: A Global Collaboration, San Antonio, USA, 2009 “Proximal to Distal Movement: A movement strategy for the prevention and treatment of lumbo-pelvic-hip and lower extremity injuries”.

• 2nd World Congress on Sports Injury Prevention. Tromso, Norway, 2008. “A lower extremity injury prevention warm-up incorporating a proximal to distal movement strategy”.

• Professional Football (NFL) Athletic Trainers Society Clinical Symposium, Indianapolis, USA, 2008. “Prevention and treatment of conditions of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex”.

• College of Canadian Chiropractic Sports Sciences: Emerging Trends in Sports Medicine Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2008. “Proximal to Distal Movement: A movement strategy for the prevention and treatment of lumbo-pelvic-hip and lower extremity injuries”.

SPC members are invited to read more about Rick and his involvement with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the latest edition of our Momentum Newsletter.

Sport Physiotherapy Canada is proud of Rick Celebrini, his accomplishments and his contributions toward sport development in Canada. Congratulations Rick and Go Canada Go!