Grasmere doc Dolan gets own Olympic experience

An Olympic-sized memory for Staten Island chiropractor Dr. Victor Dolan

By Jim Waggoner
April 15, 2010, 8:47AM

Photo courtesy of Dr. DolanDr. Victor Dolan recently worked with 2012 Summer Olympic Games hopefuls as well as some Vancouver Winter Games stragglers who needed treatment.NEW BRIGHTON -- A USA Olympic flag flutters proudly these days from outside the modest office building of Grasmere chiropractor Dr. Victor Dolan, also a healthcare provider for the Curtis High School football team on game days.

The 53-year-old sports medicine maven recently returned from a two-week assignment providing medical care at the United States Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“To go there and be able to experience and contribute, it was wonderfully exciting,” said Dr. Dolan. “It was great to work on athletes who want to get better, and to pick up new techniques from medical people.

“And it was good to see that a little practictioner from Staten Island wasn’t far behind the times.”

Dr. Dolan’s journey began with a scenic ride up Pikes Peak — courtesy of locals John and Gail Warner, both former classmates at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa — and continued with marathon days with athletes mostly training for the 2012 Summer Games, with a few recent Winter Games stragglers passing through for treatment.

Dr. Dolan, who has volunteered as a Curtis HS football team chiropractor for 22 years, was picked for the volunteer position by an OTC committee and worked primarily with wrestlers, gymnasts and weightlifters.

“A lot of bloody noses and taped shoulders, elbows and knees,” he said. “There was a lot of preventive and health maintenence issues, as well as performance-improvement chiropractics to perform.”

The days were long, yet rewarding. Chiropractors have experienced a growing profile in recent years: The United States sent five specialists to Vancouver for the Winter Games, a significant increase from the usual one or two.

Dr. Dolan now waits to hear if he will be called for future international competitions, such as the Pan American Games or even a future Olympics.

“Everybody evaluates you ... and they don’t tell you anything,” he said. “They either call you or they don’t.

“I think I did very well overall. I was nervous, even anxious, the first few days. There were colleagues who were obviously very, very good ... but, you know, there’s no big secrets out there ... there’s no shortcuts.”

Dr. Dolan did have difficulty adjusting to Colorado’s high altitude.

“I had a little trouble breathing,” he said. “If I walked up one flight of stairs, I was out of breath.”

Dr. Dolan had no difficulty with some encouraging words he heard while saying goodbye.

“Some of the kids I saw every day came up to me and said, ‘Can’t you stay? We wish you could stay longer ... you’re a good chiropractor.’”

Dr. Dolan had to get back to his Grasmere practice. He brought many good memories home, along with the USA Olympic flag.

By Jim Waggoner
February 23, 2010, 8:52AM

"It's an honor to go there ... and it's a great responsibility," said Dolan, who was nominated by peers, confirmed by an OTC committee and depending on how it goes, could be considered for future Olympic and other international assignments. "These are athletes who are looking to improve performance. People are surprised that athletes make use of chiropractors, but we fit right in for the vast majority of physical complaints and conditions.

"We make them (athletes) better, by aligning their joints, by connecting their brain and muscle. Chiropractics has been proven to help them lift more weight, have quicker reflexes, and to help them run faster."

The 53-year-old Dolan's journey began in Stapleton, where as a boy he played stickball in the street with friends. He attended Immaculate Conception, Monsignor Farrell and Wagner College before being drawn into the medical field after taking a vocational test. He visited the late Dr. Herb Flamm's office on Forest Avenue, took notes on chiropractic protocol, and joined the veteran physician at an upstate orientation for would-be chiropractors.

"He (Flamm) was warm, friendly and encouraging," recalled Dolan, who was a 1983 cum laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. "I was drawn to the idea that we could stay healthy if we had good health habits. The chiropractic thing made sense. The nervous system controls and coordinates all the activity of a human body."

Dr. Dolan was the first chief of chiropractic in a New York state hospital. He holds specialties in nutrition, pain management, sports injuries and fitness.

"When I was a kid, I wasn't a joiner," said Dolan. "As an adult, I became a joiner."

He said he made a conscious decision at medical school to become more socially involved and civic-minded.

"I didn't play sports at school growing up and I realized what I had missed," he said. "I think you have to be involved, you know? It's more fun to be involved than sitting home watching television, that's for sure."

Later this month at the United States Olympic Training Center, Dr. Dolan gets to take another significant step in his professional career.

Grasmere chiropractor Dr. Victor Dolan employs simple logic when the topic inevitably turns to his profession.

If we are so conscientious with caring about such things as our homes and cars, why are we inclined to be careless in the proper maintenance of our bodies?

"Unfortunately most people come to a chiropractor when they're hurting," said Dolan. "Most people are looking for pain relief. They're not looking to optimize peformance or to improve function. Frankly, we do too much sitting around at work and at home."

So imagine how Dolan's eyes lit up when he was recently chosen to provide medical care at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He won't be involved with the current Winter Olympics -- he leaves for the assignment Saturday and returns home on March 17 -- but will be working mostly with athletes preparing for the 2012 Summer Games.

And for all his medical accomplishments, the native Staten Islander has maintained a high public profile. He's probably best known for hosting a Staten Island Community Television program, "Good Health Naturally," which aired from 1992 to 2002 with an estimated 900 shows.

"I used those shows to educate people about health issues," said Dolan.

He's also the team chiropractor for the Curtis High School football team, serving in that volunteer capacity for more than two decades.

The lengthy list of clubs and activities that he has been associated with include: Community Board 2, Old Town Civic Association, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Knights of Columbus, the Lions Club, the Lodge of Masons, the Hibernians, and the Volunteer Heart Ambulance Corps. He has volunteered his medical expertise in the sports of rodeo, fencing, wrestling, professional bowling, tae kwon do and track and field.