Article reposted from Caledon Enterprise
Author: Matthew Strader
And Andrea Prieur’s a veteran.
The Caledon East based athletic trainer, and co-owner of Core Solutions Phsiotherapy and Wellness, is a member of the Core Health team, tending to Canada’s highest level athletes at the 31st Olympic Summer Games in Rio.
Prieur is attending her second Olympic Games, having performed similar duties at the London Olympics in 2012, and has three world university games and two Pan Am games under her belt as well.
In Rio, she’s keeping up an every two day journal, as much as she can, with The Caledon Enterprise and reporter Matthew Strader, to report to her hometown on everything Olympic, and everything Rio.
MS: What are your duties? Descirbe who you are to the athletes for the reader and what exactly you do.
AP: I am a certified athletic therapist that was chosen as part of the Health services team to render therapy and medical care to just our Canadian athletes. There are host medical/therapy services available but we like to ensure that our athletes are receiving the best and similar care to what they would receive at home. So, it is my job to attend their practices and games and provide therapy services – pre-preparation stretching, post preparation ice and recovery massages and I also provide emergency care if the need arises on the field of play – from everything to bandaids and covering blisters to anything more serious if it occurs. We have two athletic therapists, and two massage therapists as well as seven physicians that take care of the Canadian team. And each of us covers a variety of teams to ensure that our athletes medical and therapy needs are met. The other side of coverage is providing therapeutic clinical services so when the athletes are back at the village they have access to treatment, recovery options and massage anytime they need.
MS: What’s your favourite part of that?
This is what I trained for; it is what I do everyday. The best part is now there is recognition by providing care to our country’s top athletes.
MS: What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen so far as the fan of the sport you are looking after? (Coolest play, something with the crowd, venue, ec.)
AP: Beach volleyball is the most well known sport here in Brazil. Approximately 12,000 people pack the outdoor stadium that is set up right on Copacabana beach. The fans are wild and anytime we are not playing against Brazil – Canada is a favorite to the people. Surprisingly, our beach athletes have a huge family and friends contingent that are coming out to each game, wearing their red and white pride and losing their voices cheering for their favorites. I think one of the most interesting will be seeing Canada play Canada in women’s play tomorrow…for elimination of one of our teams. Our men’s team came back last night in the lucky loser draw and won in two sets and they played strong.
MS: Have you had any MacGuyver moments yet where a lack of, or unfamiliarity with something has found you innovating something that’s going to always remind you of your time in Rio?
AP: Unrelated to therapy we have been innovative with small things. We have used athletic tape in multiple different methods. Affixed a toilet seat; there are no plugs for the sinks to do laundry but athletic tape works well. I think we are going to write a book on 100 uses of athletic tape; a spin off of the duct tape phenomenon.
MS: Whether at the venue and on duty, or off duty while you’re spending time on your own, what is always going to be, “so Rio….”
AP: The people. One of the coaches said to me yesterday during a practice, “that is the third person that has come to talk to you directly- is something wrong?” I replied, no, the people are so nice and so accommodating that each and every Brazilian volunteer I have met checks in with me daily to see if Team Canada needs anything!
That is what the games is about….countries helping countries.