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PFA Symposium Presents High-Quality Sessions
By Miki Fairley Fighting sultry heat, humidity, fierce wind and
rain, dodging hostile vegetation and poisonous snakes, pulling
dozens of bloodsucking leeches off arms and legs, rappelling down
steep cliffs, climbing up mountainsides, crossing deep canyons
hanging on to pulleysis this pure torture or an exhilarating
adventure?
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PFA’s Symposium always features hands-on as well as lecture presentations. Above, a casting demonstration calls for audience volunteers. Photo by P.J. Williams |
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Actually both, with wisdom emerging from the
experience, as the nearly 900 attendees learned during the
Pedorthic Footwear Association (PFA) Annual Symposium &
Exhibition November 11-14 in Orlando, Florida. Yvonne Camus, a
member of Canadas Team Sunlight during the 2000 Eco-Challenge
in Malaysian Borneo, an expedition race over rugged terrain, using
mountaineering, biking, boating, navigation, and other wilderness
skills, shared her experiences in her talk, "The Eco-Challenge:
Lessons for Surviving Life and Business."
Each Eco-Challenge team includes three men and one woman. If a
team loses a member due to injury, team disagreement, or other
causes, the team is disqualified. Team Sunlight became the first
rookie team to ever finish the race. Among the problems encountered
were climbing in a cave with tons of bat guano, a poisonous vine
that left a team member unconscious for eight hours, and various
injuries.
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Alan Darby, CPed, LPed, presents PFA’s Vendor of the Year Award to Apex Foot Health Industries. Accepting it are Larry Schwartz, Apex president (center), and Dick Schwartz, Apex CEO (right). Darby’s term as PFA president ended during the Symposium; he was succeeded by Mike Forgrave, CPed (c), CPed. Photo by P.J. Williams |
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What did Camus learn from Eco-Challenge? One of
the most important lessons was working as a team, with members
building one another up, rather than tearing one another down. She
noted that a main reason teams failed to finish wasn't due to
mistakes or lack of skills and knowledge, but rather to conflict
among members. Lessons learned that also work in life and business
include 1) Keep moving forward, even when you feel
like quitting; 2) surround yourself with people
who lift you up, rather than tear you down; 3)
plan to be excellent, since we move toward, but not beyond, what we
can imagine; 4) discover what works - concentrate
on solutions, not problems; 5) pain is inevitable;
suffering is optional; and 6) be hard on issues,
but soft on people. Cheering people on, building them up even when
they make mistakes, leads to a winning effort.
Camus also presented a special session on the unique foot and
footwear problems encountered, since one of the biggest threats to
the racers ability to continue was the incredible beating their
feet were taking. With so much water, it was nearly impossible to
get feet dry, resulting in shredding, blistering, and painful
sores, Camus said.
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Randy Stevens, CPed, receives the Pedorthic Footwear Foundation’s second annual Dawn Janisse Award from Foundation President Harriet Cavanah Dart, CPed. The Dawn Janisse Award recognizes people who have made a difference on behalf of pedorthics; Stevens was honored for his mastery of government affairs issues that affect pedorthics. Photo by P.J. Williams |
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Roger Crawford, who achieved tennis stardom
despite impairment in all four limbs, received a standing ovation
after his inspirational talk. "We determine if were mastered by
circumstances, or if we are masters of circumstances," he said. He
cited a little boy with a disability who had a great attitude. The
youngster told him, "My grandpa says people are like teabags. Put
them in hot water and what's inside comes out." Crawford encouraged
listeners to ask themselves, "Where am I coming from? How long have
I been there? Where am I going?" He asked the audience members to
look at the future and see possibilities. He also praised the
pedorthists for truly "making a difference" in the lives of
patients.
Comments were heard about the high quality of the program, which
was divided into four tracks which considered different aspects of
pedorthics: "At Work" (occupational situations), "At Play"
(recreational), "Clinical" (observational / analytical situations);
and "Business." Sessions were detailed and full of practical,
applicable information and included two bonus sessions and pre- and
post-symposium presentations. A total of 110 exhibitors displayed
products and services in over 150 booths.
This years Symposium is slated for October 20-23 in
Indianapolis, Indiana. 
Table Of Contents - January 2005
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