Nurses at the Olympics

Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Nurses at the OlympicsAuthor(s): Anne WarnerSource: The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 64, No. 12 (Dec., 1964), pp. 104-107Published by: Lippincott Williams & WilkinsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3419476 .

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ONE TENTH OF A SECOND made the difference between competing and not competing in the finals for USA runner Sandra Knott, R.N.

NURSES at the

In the medical service and on the field-nurses were part of this year's U.S. Olympic Team in Tokyo.

ANNE WARNER

Nurses do get around, and one of the places you find them is the Olympic Games. This year in Tokyo, Japan, not only were nurses on duty behind the scenes, treating athletes at the U.S. Medical Services Center, but they were also competing on the playing field.

One on the field was Sandra Knott, a visiting nurse from Cleve- land, Ohio, who took part in the 800-meter run. Willye White, a li- censed practical nurse from Chicago, competed in the long jump and the 400-meter relay.

MRS. WARNER (B.A., Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio), assistant director of the Ameri- can Nurses' Association Public Relations Unit, covered nurses at the Olympics for the Jour- nal while she was on vacation in Tokyo.

"Sandy" Knott is a tall, lithe, pretty blonde who looks too fragile and feminine to be in any kind of athletics. She grew up in Bridge- water, Massachusetts (near Boston), and liked running when she was in

high school. She dropped it entirely, however, when she entered nursing school at Children's Hospital, Bos- ton. After graduation she went on to Western Reserve University, Cleveland, where she earned a bachelor of science degree. She has been with the Cleveland Visiting Nurses Association for two years.

Her interest in running was re- kindled when she attended a track meet in which her younger sister Suzanne took part. At the age of 22, after five years of not engaging in

any sports at all, she decided to start

training again. Sandy says it is a minor miracle that she made the

Olympic team after a five-year lay- off. She did have four years of train-

ing just prior to the 1964 Olympics, however, and ran in many meets. Her training consisted of running and exercises. During May, June, July, and August this year she practiced twice a day. Starting at about 5:30 each morning she would practice for about 30 minutes, then eat a 900-calorie breakfast and then go to work. When her day as a visiting nurse was over, she would go through another workout, this time

up to two hours. Then she would go home and get to bed by 8:30 P.M.

Sandy runs for the Cleveland Di- vision of Recreation. Her coach is Alex Ferenczy, a Hungarian who left his country after the revolt of 1956.

It was on October 9 that I talked with Sandy in Tokyo, her twenty- seventh birthday. She walked into the lounge of the women's quarters with a huge birthday cake in her hands. The Japanese had given it to

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NURSING 104 DECEMBER 1964



OVER SIX METERS for Willye White, L.P.N., but 11 others jumped farther. Willye did, however, get a silver medal in the relay race.

OLYMPICS S

her and were planning a party in her honor that night. She told me she was continually impressed with the kindnesses shown by the Japanese, and she was truly touched by the-

gift of the birthday cake.

Willye White started running in

elementary school in Greenwood, Mississippi, and has continued ever since. She is tall and slim and has the long legs of a runner. While in

high school she ran for the Tennes- see State Track Club during the summers. Then she ran as a fresh- man at Tennessee State A & I Uni-

versity in 1959-1960. When Tennes- see State dropped its nursing program, she decided to go to Chicago and enter a diploma program. How-

ever, once there, she found she could not enter any professional nursing school because of her exact-

ing track training schedule. But the

Chicago Board of Education con- ducts a practical nurse program, and

she entered that and became a li- censed practical nurse. She now works in a doctor's office and still finds time to train and run for the

Mayor Daley Youth Foundation.

(The doctor is an understanding man who likes sports, Willye says.) Her coaches are Percy Franklin and Claude Taliaferro.

Prior to the Olympics, Willye's training schedule included two

practice sessions each day. One ses- sion ran from 7:00 to 9:30 A.M.

Then she would go to work until 5:00 P.M. From 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. she would practice some more, then

go back to the office to work until the last patient left. Some nights Willye said she did not get home until 9:00, 10.00, or even 11:00 P.M. She worked six days a week and on Sundays she tried to work in more practice time.

Willye has been on three U.S.

Olympic Teams (1956, 1960,

1964), and won a silver medal in 1956. She was also a member of the 1959 and 1963 U.S. Pan American Teams.

Sandy's event began on October 18. She finished sixth in her heat with a time of 2 minutes, 12.2 seconds, just 0.1 second behind the fifth place fin-

isher, and so missed qualifying for the 800-meter semifinals. (The first five in each heat went into the semi-

finals.) Willye placed twelfth in the

long jump held on October 14, with a final jump of 6.07 meters. Nonethe-

less, she came home with a silver

medal; she and three teammates finished second in the 400-meter relay for women. (In this race each woman runs 100 meters and passes a baton to the next woman on her team.) The teams finishing first, second, and third on October 21 broke existing world and Olympic records for this event

(44.3 and 44.4 seconds, respective- ly). Poland was first with 43.6 sec-

VOLUME 64, NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 1964 105



AT THE OLYMPICS

onds, the United States second with 43.9, and Great Britain third with 44 seconds flat.

IN THE MEDICAL SERVICE Behind the scenes were a nurse

from California and one from New Jersey. These two shared the responsibility for the health of 489 athletes and officials, 24 hours a day, for several weeks. It may sound like hard work and long hours. It was.

The nurses were Margaret S. Brock, a school nurse from El Cen- tro, California, and Peggy O'Neill, a nurse with the Student Health Services of Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.

At the U.S. Medical Services Center in the Olympic Village in Tokyo, the nurses pointed out to me that nursing members of the Olym- pic team is different from most nursing. "Patients" are healthy athletes who are probably in better physical condition than any other group in the United States. The job of the medical services team is to maintain the athletes' health at peak level during the Olympic Games, caring for minor ailments as they arise and warding off any major problems.

Both Mrs. Brock and Miss O'Neill have had extensive experience in working with teenagers and young

'adults-the age group of most of the Olympic team. They worked with two physicians, Harry R. McPhee, who recently retired after many years with the Student Health Services at Princeton, and Daniel F. Hanley who is with the Bowdoin College Student Health Services in Brunswick, Maine.

BEFORE THE GAMES The nurses' responsibility to the

team actually began almost a month before the opening of the games in Tokyo. They left home in time to be in Los Angles on September 20, when team members began arriving at the Hotel Biltmore to assemble for take-off. All team members were requested to get the necessary inoculations before leaving home. Not all

did, however, so the nurses were busy at the Biltmore giving shots for cholera, typhoid, and other diseases which team members might encoun- ter, not only in Japan but also during scheduled post-Olympic tours in other countries. Some had started the series of inoculations and needed to complete the course. Others had had no shots, so their first inoculations were given, with the remaining ones to follow in Tokyo. Each athlete was also requested to submit a physical examination report to Medical Services. Some did not do this, thus complete physical exams were also conducted by the medical team at the Biltmore.

Charter jets transported the U.S. Olympic Team to Tokyo via the po- lar route. Team members and officials traveled in four planes, leaving on September 28, 29, 30, and Octo- ber 1. Miss O'Neill traveled on the first flight, along with most of the medical supplies; Mrs. Brock stayed behind to give any services needed by the rest of the team, and then traveled with the last flight going over.

First thing to be done on arrival at the Olymic Village in Tokyo was to set up the infirmary and dispensary. U.S. Medical and Training Services were assigned rooms on the first floor of Building 11. (The U.S. men's team had quarters on the upper three floors of the same building.) One room was used as a clinic and dispensary, another room, con- taining several beds, as an infirmary. Medical services were available to team members 24 hours a day, with both physicians and nurses on call at all times. However, the dispensary itself was open officially from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 PM. If time permitted, the nurses could attend some of the games and do a bit of sightseeing, never both nurses at the same time, of course.

Busiest times for the nurses were in the mornings, before the various teams practiced, and early evenings after the teams returned from practice. Prevalent among the athletes were upper respiratory infections (caused by radical changes in hours and weather), gastrointestinal dis-

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NURSING

COLDS WERE COMMON. Peggy O'Neill treats a member of the women's swimming team.

DOLING OUT PILLS to an athlete is Mar- garet Brock. Nurses wore the team uniform.

106 DECEMBER 1964



turbances, and sprains and contu- sions. Complete records are kept of all treatment given to team members -for current use and for the future in the event that any treatment

given has to be verified. Mrs. Brock pointed out how im-

portant she thought it was for the medical team to live with the athletes. She and Miss O'Neill shared a room on the fourth floor of Build-

ing 1, where the U.S. women's team lived. They also ate in the dining halls with the athletes. In this way, the nurses could observe team members and usually knew, when athletes came to the medical center for

aid, whether their difficulties were nervous exhaustion or something which developed overnight. The

pressure and tension under which the athletes live can be overwhelm-

ing to some. The nurses realized they were

dealing with varying personalities coming from a great variety of back-

grounds. Before an athlete com-

petes, he is in a state of anticipation; during competition there is great tension; and after the results are

known, there is either the exhilara- tion of winning or the let down of

losing. U.S. Olympic team nurses must deal with athletes in all these

stages and administer to their needs, physical or psychological.

Both Mrs. Brock and Miss O'Neill

spoke of the excellent working rela-

tionships they had with the physicians on the medical team and with

trainers, coaches, managers, and other officials. They worked closely with the food and housing officials, serving as advisers to the food man-

ager in regard to the athletes' diets. While working the nurses did not

wear traditional white, but the offi- cial Olympic uniform, worn by all U.S. Olympic team members. The

complete uniform for travel and work consisted of a white sleeveless

pull-over blouse, navy blue A-line

skirt, matching knit blazer, white nylon suede shortie gloves, lizard

grained pumps with two-inch walk-

ing heels, hooded raincapes (navy, red, and white plaid), and red patent vinyl rain boots. The nurses told me they had wondered why the last

two items were issued, until they landed in Tokyo. The first week they were there it rained every day!

The dress uniform issued to all team members (including the nurs-

es) included a white, one-piece, modified turtleneck, sleeveless dress of diagonal stretch fabric, a three- inch belt with enameled team em-

blem, Olympic blue velour jacket trimmed in red and white, patent clutch handbag, low-heeled red

pumps, white nylon suede shortie

gloves, and red headband. Each member also received a dark blue, 24-inch travel bag.

Mrs. Brock was graduated from

Mercy College of Nursing, San

Diego, California, and served for three years as an Army nurse. Later she received her bachelor of science

degree in nursing education and

public health nursing from the Uni-

versity of California at Berkeley. For two years she worked as a school nurse in San Mateo, California. She is now employed by the Imperial County Board of Education, El Centro. Married to a rancher, Mrs. Brock has two children-a daughter who is five and a son, three.

Miss O'Neill is a graduate of St.

Mary's School of Nursing, Philadel-

phia, Pennsylvania. She has done

private duty nursing, general duty nursing, has worked for an internist and a surgeon, and has been with the Princeton University Student Health Services for many years. She was in charge of the accident room for several years and learned to know athletes quite well.

What qualifications do you need to become an Olympic team nurse? Both Mrs. Brock and Miss O'Neill believe previous knowledge, ability, and experience in working with this

age group is most important. Ac-

cording to Thomas F. Lennon of the U.S. Olympic Committee, they look for nurses with a good, all-round

background, as well as experience with athletes.

Miss O'Neill was nominated by Dr. McPhee, with whom she had worked at Princeton and who has served as team physician during several Olympic games. Her application was subsequently reviewed by the

SET i ke..

e

:ec.s. .i. .t he SETTING UP, keeping records-all in the nurses' day-Olympics or home hospital.

U.S. Olympic Committee, and she was appointed. She served as one of the U.S. team nurses at the 1955 Pan American Games at Mexico

City and at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome.

With Mrs. Brock, it was quite different. She knew no one connected with the Olympics. In 1951, when she was a school nurse, she learned to read the sports page of the paper each day so that she could "keep up" with student interests. One day she read about two nurses who accom-

panied the 1948 team to the Olym- pics and decided to apply. In No- vember 1951 she sent an application to the chairman of the Olympic Committee in New York, stating her

background and experience. After

investigation and screening by the

appropriate committees, she was ap- proved by the U.S. Olympic Com- mittee and duly appointed team nurse. She was the only nurse to ac-

company the team to Helsinki in 1952. Mrs. Brock later served as one of three nurses who accompanied the U.S. team to the 1955 Pan Amer- ican Games in Mexico City, and was the only nurse to serve the U.S. team during the 1960 Winter Olym- pics at Squaw Valley.

Would both these nurses do it

again? If circumstances permitted, yes. They both feel that the honor of being with the U.S. Olympic team, the excitement of being part of the color and magnitude of the

games, is worth every bit of the hard work and long hours.

VOLUME 64, NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 1964 107



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Nurses at the Olympics