On
the ice with a chiropractic proponent and double-medal OlympianBy Pattie Stechschulte
During the 1990s, Derek Parra made a name for himself as a world-renowned inline skater with three national titles, two world championships and 18 gold medals to his credit.
Then in 1996, he joined several other inline skaters by making the switch from rollerblades to ice skates and has become a world-class speed skater winning a gold and silver Olympic medal and setting a world record.
Switching Gears
Considered one of the most accomplished athletes in the short history of inline skating, Parra did not adjust to ice right away as a long track speed skater.
“Roller skating and ice skating may look the same, but they’re completely different, let me tell you,” Parra said. “It was a hard road to make the transition. I had a good feel for the ice but I definitely had to really forget everything I’d learned roller skating and relearn everything.”
Long track speed skating was included in the first winter Olympic Games in 1924, because it was a favorite winter pastime in many northern European countries. Short track speed skating was added to Olympic competition in 1992 with the difference being in the size of the oval track.
On the long track, skaters race compete against the clock on a 400-meter oval course while the short track skaters race against each other on a much shorter, narrow oval. Using klap skates, which have a front hinge allowing skaters to lift their heel for more power, being able to reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour.
After his first season of competition in 1997, he was won a fourth overall ranking at the U.S. Allrounds and 7th in the 5,000m at the World Cup. The next year, he made the U.S. Olympic team for the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and by the year 2000, Parra became the U.S. Allround Champion, setting a new American record in the 1,500m.
In 2001, he won a silver medal in the 1500m at the 2001 World Single Distance Championships and finished fifth in the 1500m on the 2000-2001 World Cup circuit.
A Chiropractic Proponent
Parra has been under chiropractic care for about 12 years, when he first started his competitive career in inline skating.
“I just started early on. I got recommended from a friend to try it for little things like getting adjusted to make sure things are working the right way,” said Parra. “Over the years, I have gotten more and more in tune with it. Actually I hurt my back a year and a half ago, and that’s when I really started getting a lot more from chiropractic care.”
At this time, Dr. Keith Overland has started working with the speed skating team at the Olympic Training Center then at their training place in Utah and Milwaukee once a month.
“When I hurt my back, I was getting physical therapy but it never seemed to fix the problem. Then I got some adjustments on my back to keep my hips in place, and I felt better when I came out of the injury and I was able to maintain it,” said Parra.
“To perform at a level like that at the Olympics, well, it helps to be perfect, but if you can’t [be perfect], it helps to be close to perfect.
“If you have problems with the structural part of your body that might keep you from a good rhythm, then you have to have that corrected, otherwise you are going to be limited on your range of motion and your power output,” explained Parra. “I definitely think it helps because in skating we use our hips and thighs, pushing to the side in an awkward movement, which is not really natural to the human body. When the hips are out of place, you have problems with turns and techniques, and you are not as strong as you would like to be.”
“I have tried to spread the word as much as I could to other members of our team that if they were having any problems to go to a chiropractor, it just might help them, rather than traditional medicine,” he said.
As a competitive athlete, Parra has been living far away from his home in San Vernardino, Calif., but he says, “Where I find myself living again, I will find one (a chiropractor) that I can go to on a regular basis.”
An Olympic Dream
Leading up to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Parra won a gold medal last November at the World Cup in the 1,500m, breaking the track record and was considered by many as a prime candidate for winning the gold medal for the United States.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for so many years,” he said about competing in the Salt Lake Olympics. “It was so exciting this year to feel the support from the American crowd, especially with the sense of patriotism that has come about in this country.”
When Parra took the ice in the 5,000m race, he turned in a world-record performance only for it to be topped 20 minutes later by Jochem Uytdehaage from the Netherlands earning him a silver medal.
A few days later, the two skaters met again during the 1,500m event, but this time it was Parra who would surpass Uytdehaage’s world record time. In that moment, he had fulfilled his Olympic dream and made history by becoming the first Mexican-American to win an Olympic gold medal.
“Being able to perform like that, at that peculiar moment in time, was a dream come true. I was glad that the people that were involved in my progress were there to experience it,” said Parra.
In recognition for his remarkable accomplishments, the United States Olympic Committee named Parra as the Male Athlete of the Month for February for helping to contribute to the 34 medal count, making it the most successful Winter Olympics in the country’s history.
In the weeks following the Olympics, Parra once again helped the U.S. team at the World Allround Speedskating Championships by finishing with a third overall standing. It was the first time an American male has won a medal since 1988 at the World Allrounds.
“This was a surprise, skating this well after coming in so late from the states,” Parra said. “This was an unbelievable finish to an unbelievable season.”
About the author: Pattie Stechschulte is an award-winning writer for Today’s Chiropractic magazine. Inquiries should be directed to her at 1303 Hightower Trail, Suite 101, Atlanta, GA 30350 or e-mail pattie@stechschulte.com.