When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
Hello World! Europe Calling -- We're That Small Island Off the East Coast of New York
So I guess you're wondering what a continental letter is doing in this essentially American magazine? Well, it's all about the World Congress of Chiropractic Students (WCCS) and I'm sure you all know what that is.
The 11th Annual World Congress of Chiropractic Students (WCCS) is to be held at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) Bournemouth, England in September this year. That's for the first time in Europe and only the second outside the USA.
WCCS 1989 was at Palmer College of Chiropractic-West, San Francisco -- well done to Alda and Co. The theme "Bridging the Gap" was to demonstrate the role of current technology in a field which has a traditional hands on approach. We had some very informative and relevant lecturers -- thanks to them if they're reading.
As one of the six European delegates of last year, and now a veteran of WCCS, I can conclude that WCCS is a very worthwhile organization; it's more than just "----to unify the profession worldwide and provide a forum for the exchange of current thinking in research and techniques." The Congress timetable was informative, proposals were discussed and ideas implemented but it was the social calendar where I, for one, learned more about the profession than from any book.
Being at the AECC, the larger of only two European colleges (the other in Paris and catering only to French students), we are somewhat divorced from the bulk of the profession in America.
I'd never heard of SCASA or the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and was totally confused at the notion of listing a restriction as a static malposition -- and not by the motion it cannot perform. As for "straight chiropractic," I was of the opinion that they were some kind of "witch doctors," but having talked to people from Life College of Chiropractic-West, I now have a real understanding of their position from which to formulate an opinion of my own. It was these things that made WCCS a worthwhile and beneficial occasion.
The AECC is to hold Chiropractic 2000 from September 11-15, 1990. Our aim is to do for the world what WCCS' 89 did for us -- that is to educate the profession about chiropractic in Europe. I feel sorry for those of you who will not be able to attend. Things are well under way at our end, "the British sense of humour" has dreamed up a few novel ideas and the college is bubbling with enthusiasm (maybe a bit of a "wildebeestie" -- contact your alma mater WCCS chapter to find out what that means.)
One final thing to say: Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has recently undertaken patronage of the AECC -- which is really quite an honor, so I'm afraid we can only a accept a better class of delegate now (!).
Looking forward to seeing you all in September.