By: Keiko Imazumi-Tang, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
When I signed up for TCC as a first time attendee, I was expecting it to be like every other conference – a general overview of the latest updates in sports physical therapy. To my surprise, the conference was so much more than that. TCC covered everything in sports physical therapy from knees to shoulders, elbows to spine and taught by the top PTs in the field. You got all the clinical pearls and paradigm shifts in enough detail to apply directly to your practice the following Monday.
I found myself totally engaged throughout the conference – no midday coffee required. In addition to great content, TCC had an exhibit hall which included vendors from Theraband, Rock Tape, Graston, etc. with plenty of samples to bring back to your clinic. Attendees also enjoyed the other perks such as a cocktail hour after the preconference, continental breakfasts before the presentations, and snacks/refreshments during breaks.
My favorite part of TCC was the unique “TeamMates” event in which “Rookie” Sports PTs (1st time attendees) are matched with “Captain” Sports PTs (seasoned TCC attendees) with the purpose of networking, learning more about the SPTS, and developing relationships for mentoring. Our “Captain” introduced me to other PTs very involved in the SPTS – making this conference by far the easiest networking experience I have had in my career. After attending TCC, I can now see what our “Captain” meant by, “the SPTS is like a family … you will start to see the same people year after year”. I’ll definitely be going back next year and would highly recommend any other Orthopaedics or Sports PT to attend this conference – it’s an invaluable and great experience. For “Rookies”/first timers, the TeamMates event is also a must do.