Rindal and team getting first taste of race

Triathlete gets in the canoe for Northwest Chiropractic Clinic

JOHN STARK

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Kevin Rindal may be a novice canoeist, but he's no stranger to athletic competition, and he hopes to participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.

But if that dream comes true, Rindal will be there as a chiropractor, not as a competitor.

Rindal, 28, practices at Northwest Chiropractic Clinic in Mount Vernon with his father, Jeff Rindal. This past April, he put his chiropractic skills to work as part of the medical staff for the U.S. women's team at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Women's Championship in Harbin, China. The U.S. women brought home the gold medal after defeating Canada in the finals.

Andy Bronson | ANDY BRONSON THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

"It was amazing," Rindal said of his China trip. "It was a really positive experience."

He got the position with the women's team by being in the right place at the right time. He was practicing in Washington, D.C., when a former team member, Jamie Hagerman, came to him for treatment on her injured knee. She liked the results, and recommended him to her contacts in the U.S. hockey organization after the regular team chiropractor was unable to make the China trip.

Rindal says he uses a technique known as Active Release Technique that, among other things, helps recovery time by overcoming the ill-effects of scar tissue in muscles after injuries.

He has no assurances he'll be part of the staff when the U.S. women's team heads to Vancouver, but he believes he's in the running. U.S. hockey officials will choose the Olympic staff from an available pool of willing people. But the 2008 gold medal can't hurt his chances.

Rindal and his teammates on the Northwest Chiropractic Clinic team won't be going for the gold on Ski to Sea race day. This is the team's first appearance in the race. Although Rindal himself is a triathlete, some team members have less impressive credentials.

"We're definitely a mixed bag," Rindal said. "This year's more about having fun. Next year we'll probably be a little more serious."

Rindal, who lives in Bellingham with his wife Dana, said father-in-law Dan Cantrell got him interested in the race. He said Cantrell has been a canoeist in the race for decades, most recently on the Bandito's Burritos team that placed fourth in the Whatcom County Division last year.

"I haven't done a whole lot of canoeing at all, so this is a new experience," Rindal said.

Rindal, who grew up in Mount Vernon, returned to the Northwest just a few months ago after schooling and medical practice that took him to San Diego, Seattle and Iowa as well as Washington, D.C. His years away from the region have whetted his appetite for the race.

"I've been away from the Northwest, and I've always wanted to do the Sea to Ski," he said.

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Friday, May. 23, 2008

Rindal and team getting first taste of race

Triathlete gets in the canoe for Northwest Chiropractic Clinic

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