Setting things straight

Coral Wilson

Massage therapists, athletic trainers and chiropractors are rooting

for U.S. Open surfers in the best way they know how -- by

volunteering their talents.

Paradiso, a mobile spa service, sponsored a medical tent on the

sands of Huntington Beach for the event. They invited surfers to stop

by for some spinal alignment, assistance in the case of injuries or a

massage to warm up their muscles and relieve soreness free of charge.

“Everyone is having fun,” said Karen McDowell, owner of Paradiso.

“And the athletes are enjoying the services -- repeatedly.”

The team worked exclusively with athletes for the first part of

the competition, and they will make a separate festival tent

available to the public, also free of charge, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday to Sunday, McDowell said.

Recruiting about 15 volunteers, McDowell said she made sure there

is one chiropractor, one athletic trainer and two to four massage

therapists to cover every shift. Getting a positive response from

volunteers was not difficult, and the phone calls are still coming

in, but choosing the right people and preparations took about three

months of hard work, she said.

Volunteering so much time will affect business at chiropractor

David Crouch’s Huntington Beach-based office, but he said the

experience is well worth it.

“These guys are totally appreciative,” Crouch said. “When they

hobble in and walk out, that’s the part that makes it worth it. I had

one poor guy who took a board in the back. He strutted out. It’s

awesome.”

Because of the way surfers hold their heads up while paddling out,

the athletes usually experience pain between the top of their

shoulder blades to the base of their necks, he said. Crouch also

looks for problems in the hips, buttocks and lower back, he said.

For surfing fans such as athletic trainer Marie Regino, working at

the U.S. Open was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“I surf down here, I surf at Bolsa Chica and I surf at Newport,”

she said. “It’s so great to see my role models.”

After treatment by Huntington Beach-based chiropractor Cary

Rothenberg, 21-year-old surfer Mark Visser said he felt more “in the

flow.”

“It just made me feel more alert, which is really important in

surfing,” Visser said. “I had better vision and was more aware of

things.”

Back home in Australia, Visser said he has a yoga routine, a

personal trainer, a massage therapist and a chiropractor whom he

works into his regular schedule.

“I am becoming more aware of how important every [aspect of

health] is,” he said. “You can’t have a building without the base.”