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Doug Stacey has treated a lot of local athletes over the years.
He noticed some inconvenience in their day-to-day schedules. They would work out at one place, practise at another, then go to a physiotherapy session at a third stop in the city.
“Our goal is to put it all together,” said the longtime sports trainer previously with the Western Mustangs and London Knights. “It’s the only thing really missing here. Gary Roberts did it in Toronto. He has workout, training, therapy and access to nutrition all in one place.”
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That led to the creation of the Elite Performance Injury Centre (EPIC). The sports physiotherapy idea came from collaborative talks between Stacey and Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital orthopedic surgeon Chris Chant.
It is, for now, housed at the Komoka Wellness Centre. There are also hours currently offered at Western Fair.
“It has gathered speed and taken off,” Stacey said. “Even though we’re using the hockey model, we’re still doing it for all sports and all athletes. We add the high-performance component to it. It’s for people who want to improve at whatever pursuit they want.
“If you want to have better endurance for pickup hockey, we’ll give you an assessment and help. If you want to garden five hours a day and that’s your sport, then that’s what we’ll focus on.”
The workout programs are offered through Trevor Williamson, the Knights strength and conditioning coach. For hockey, Mark Voakes is in player development with the New Jersey Devils, skating coach Kathy McLlwain has worked with a lot of the area stars and Ryan Arbeau is the organization’s sports medicine doctor.
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The long-term plan is to build a bigger facility.
EPIC has a location on Gideon Drive between West 5 in London and Delaware in Middlesex Centre. The site is still waiting on final building approval from the province.
The aim is to include two ice surfaces to complete the all-in-one approach.
“Middlesex needs it,” Stacey said. “Mt. Brydges is closing and the next high-end rink is in Strathroy. The need for more ice is getting big because Middlesex is booming.”
There is no arguing with Stacey’s success. He has a handful of medals from his time spent with Hockey Canada and is one of the few people in Canada to be part of both Memorial Cup- and Vanier Cup-winning teams.
“This project has been in the works for a long time,” he said. “We want to do it right. When I left Western (last year), it was like, ‘OK, this is it. It’s time.’ It’s very exciting.”
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