ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 Best People. Best Practices. Best Programs. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from ViaSport and the Province of British Columbia. SportMedBC 2019-2020 Annual Report A MESSAGE FROM OUR LEADERSHIP This has been an exceptionally challenging year for many organizations within the provincial sport sector and beyond. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruptions as countless events were cancelled and organized sports was put on hold indefinitely. CONTENT For SportMedBC, the pandemic has significantly altered the way we deliver our programs and services and forced us to adapt to a new “normal”. Nevertheless, with our unique knowledge and experience, SportMedBC has been an important ally for the provincial sport sector. A MESSAGE FROM OUR SportMedBC’s sport training programs forged ahead with the goal of delivering year-round healthy living programming for all active British 3 Columbians. While major events like the Vancouver Sun Run and RBC GranFondo Whistler were cancelled, SportMedBC continued to LEADERSHIP support runners, walkers, and cyclists with their training virtually. We also launched new training programs with Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon and the LearnToRun10K Fall Program, both of which were very successful in their inaugural year. Our Sport Safety & Events Services department modified our courses so they could be delivered in an online format and were instrumental SPORTMEDBC BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF 4 in supporting provincial sport organizations in creating sport specific guidelines so athletes, parents, coaches could safely return to activity. Our multi-disciplinary network of practitioners was also called upon to assemble a sport medicine panel to support viaSport and the provincial sport sector in developing Return to Sport guidelines. OUR PARTNERSHIPS As we navigate these uncertain times, the Board would like to thank Executive Director, Robert Joncas, for his leadership and commitment, 5 and the SportMedBC staff for their hard work, dedication, and adaptability over the past year. We would also like to extend our gratitude to viaSport and the Province of BC for their continued funding support and leadership during these difficult times. The Board of Directors are honored to continue providing leadership and strategic advice to SportMedBC’s membership and staff. We look OUR FRAMEWORK 6 forward to learning from the trials and successes from the past year in working together with our partners in government, sport medicine, provincial sport, and recreation as we return to normalcy in the months ahead. Dr. David Cox OUR VISION & MISSION 7 Chair, SportMedBC The 2019-2020 year will not soon be forgotten, especially the time between March and July when our programming was halted due to the SPORT SAFETY & EVENT SERVICES ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While revenues were negatively affected, we have been fortunate to make use of the financial support from the 8 federal government and keep all our staff working remotely without any layoffs throughout this time. 2020 marked the 25th edition of the Vancouver Sun Run InTraining Program. Unfortunately, like so many other sporting events, the race could SPORTMEDBC INTRAINING PROGRAM 10 not go ahead as planned. In-person meet ups for our InTraining clinic were suspended in mid-March, however we continued to support runners and walkers virtually for the final five weeks of the program. Despite the challenges, we were still able to launch our new 10K-Half Marathon training program in partnership with Canada Running Series 10K-HALF MARATHON TRAINING PROGRAM 12 and had 376 runners follow along virtually. 2020 was our third year partnering with the RBC GranFondo Whistler in supporting the Fondo Clinics training program. Once again, we needed to modify the program to be delivered virtually as nearly 1,400 participants followed our weekly online training. LEARNTORUN10K FALL PROGRAM 13 With so many people turning to running and cycling to stay active during the pandemic, there is a huge opportunity for our training programs and we are expecting strong participation for our 2020 LearnToRun10K Program and the 2021 InTraining Program. RBC GRANFONDO WHISTLER TRAINING CLINICS Sport Safety & Events Services continues to be an important ally to the provincial sport and sport medicine communities as well, by delivering 14 our sport safety courses and providing medical services to Team BC athletes. With the support of viaSport and our provincial sport partners, SportMedBC was also instrumental in creating a framework and guidelines for a safe return-to-sport in BC – an accomplishment we call all be proud of. COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT 15 Our social media and online avenues have been crucial to our success during the pandemic. It was a great way to stay connected with our members and the communities we serve. In this regard, we saw steady growth in both social media followers and website traffic, once more. 2020 has been a roller-coaster in many ways, and I commend the staff for their professionalism and flexibility, and the Board of Directors for their support and leadership through what has been a very challenging year. Robert Joncas Executive Director, SportMedBC Photos: Canada Running Series/Vancouver 2 Sun Run 3 SportMedBC 2019-2020 Annual Report Board of Directors Our Partnerships The support that SportMedBC partners provide is fundamental to our commitment to further Dr. David Cox (Chair) Anthony Findlay (Vice Chair) enhance sport medicine and science activities in the province of British Columbia. Psychologist Strength & Conditioning Specialist Dr. Joseph Stern (Treasurer) Mahsa Ahmadi Podiatrist Sport Acupuncturist Funding Partners Service Partners Kim Cormack Anita Wilson We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from • Hudson Consulting Athletic Therapist Message Therapist ViaSport and the Province of British Columbia through • Thomas L. Lutes, Barrister & Solicitor the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture. • Tompkins, Wozny, Miller & Co. • Thirdbeacon Digital Solutions Marc Rizzardo Paul Dwyer Sport Physiotherapist Athletic Therapist Dr. Dory Boyer Matthew Wentzell Orthopaedic Surgeon Sport Chiropractor SportMedBC and British Columbians also benefit from other partnerships that are integral to the delivery of our programs and services. SportBC BC Injury Prevention and Leadership Council SportMedBC Staff British Columbia’s membership lead for provincial sport organizations. SportMedBC is a member of the council. BC Games Society The Vancouver Sun SportMedBC provides advice and guidance to host community medi- SportMedBC and The Vancouver Sun partner to deliver the cal services committees. InTraining program through The Vancouver Sun Run. Robert Joncas Philippe Saucier Executive Director Manager, SportMed Safety & Event Services Fortius Sport & Health RBC GranFondo Whister SportMedBC is a Premier Founding Partner of Fortius Sport & Health SportMedBC and GranFondo Canada partner to deliver the and Fortius Athlete Development Centre. Fondo Clinics training programs. Nick Brown Kathy Shahbaz Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports Canada Running Series (West) Manager, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, SportMed Safety & Event Services SportMedBC incorporates drug-free sport messages into our programs Partner in the delivery of the new 10K to Half Marathon and assists with the coordination and implementation of doping 9-Week training program for the Scotiabank Vancouver Jenny Soderman Cathy Hudson control services. Half Marathon Manager, Training Programs Accountant Doctors of BC HeadCheck Health SportMedBC is a member of the Athletics Recreation Committee. SportMedBC partners with HeadCheck Health to promote evidence-based concussion testing. Lynn Kanuka Coach, SportMed RunWalk 4 5 SportMedBC 2019-2020 Annual Report Our Framework Our Vision & Mission SportMedBC was established in 1982 as the Sport Medicine Council of British Columbia, which SportMedBC acts as a focal point for experts, applied expertise and programs. It marked the beginning of what is today a professional network of over 700 sport medical and para- serves the full continuum of British Columbians, spanning those oriented towards medical practitioners. Many of our basic operations and activities serve the province’s leaders in all levels of activity from Recreation to Fitness to Performance. Sport Medicine, Sport and Exercise Science and Health Promotion, including our SportMed Direc- tory and our SportMed Library. These resources are also designed to serve the larger community of British Columbians and Canadians who are interested in active living, from recreation and fitness, to performance. Vision To be recognized as a trusted resource for Best Practices in Sport Medicine, Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Mission Support health and performance through sport and exercise with the Best People, Best Practices, and Best Programs in Sport Medicine and Exercise Practitioner Sport Training Resource Safety & Event Science for British Columbians. Directory Programs Library Services SportMedBC provides access For most active Canadians, SportMedBC is the leading SportMedBC promotes sport to Sport Medicine experts SportMedBC comes to life promoter of applied exper- safety and best practices through its SportMed Direc- through its Sport Training pro- tise through its Sport Science for injury prevention and tory of sport medical and grams, including its popular Library, featuring a series of management through our paramedical practitioners, and internationally-regarded