Inline hockey is played with four skaters and one goalie; ice hockey uses five skaters and a goalie.
The Federation Internationale de Roller Skating (FIRS), the world governing body for roller skating competitions (hockey, speed and artistic, both on in-line skates and traditional four wheelers) has appointed Stephen Press, DC, of Englewood, New Jersey to head its commission. Dr. Press' background in rolling skating includes winning regional roller dance skating competitions with his partner in the 1960s, and coaching and judging competitions.
This is the first time a chiropractor has held such a high position in the FIRS, an organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), of which the Federation Internationale de Chiropratique Sportive (FICS) is a member.
Dr. Press, a 1978 graduate of Palmer College who has been in private practice in New Jersey for more than two decades, has served on the board of the ACA Sports Council, and is particularly known for his work in international sports chiropractic. He was the founding president of the Federation Internationale de Chiropratique Sportive, and was the chief physician for the Soviet Olympic team at the XVIth Winter Olympic Games at Albertville, France in 1992.
In the international political realm, Dr. Press is the president of the Russian Chiropractic Association, for whom he is the delegate to the general assembly of the World Federation of Chiropractic. He also holds the position of chair of the Eastern European Chiropractic Union (EECU), and has recently helped form the International Academy of Olympic Chiropractic Officers (IAOCO), along with Drs. Tom Hyde, Jan Corwin, Steve Horwitz and Phil Santiago.
As the chief health officer of the FIRS, Dr. Press hopes to raise public awareness about the health benefits of roller skating. Among his goals, he is interested in organizing programs in sports nutrition, biomechanics and sports science; launching anti-doping controls; working to prevent and reduce injuries among skaters; and promoting research into basic sciences (biomechanics and physiology to improve athletic performance).
Dr. Press' first act as chairman of the FIRS medical commission was to appoint Tom Hyde, DC (Florida) as chairman of anti-doping; Professor Sergei Aleshinsky, PhD, as chair of biomechanics; Scott Kleinman, MD, chair of orthopedics; and Patricia Wallace, MD, chair of nutrition.
Dr. Press predicts that once the medical commission is fully functional, it will open up opportunities for DCs interested in sports chiropractic around the world to participate at roller skating events as team doctors. Dr. Press can be contact at:
Dr. Stephen Press, Chairman
Medical Commission, FIRS
546 Broad Avenue
Englewood, NJ 07631
E-mail: sjp-sport-dc.com
The FIRS is on-line at: [url=http://160.79.230.237]http://160.79.230.237[/url].
