Sean Bourassa
Numbers aren’t exactly Sean Bourassa’s thing.
The 38-year-old — he figures — couldn’t actually pinpoint that without tracking back through personal experiences until landing on one that coincided with a specific age. It’s not just birthdays either, as nearly any inquiry into a specific date must go through the same process before it can be responded to with a reasonably educated guess.
But none of this matters to the people of Medicine Hat, because when it comes to what he does focus on, there simply aren’t many better. Anywhere.
Bourassa is literally in charge of the backbone of this community, as for years — how many we may never really know — he has been one of the top practising chiropractors in southeastern Alberta.
“I never really considered doing anything other than health care,” says Bourassa, who came to Medicine Hat with his family as an infant. “I love people and dealing with people. I looked at the idea of medicine or paramedic or dentistry, and you know nothing really fit.
“I liked the idea of being able to use my hands and have a little variety in what I do.”
That initially led him toward physiotherapy, as he had never even been to a chiropractor before. But eventually he felt the field would be a more hands-on form of physio, so he headed south for an education.
Bourassa attended chiropractic school in Minnesota and at the time thought he might never return. However, watching a massive world event in 1998 made him realize he belonged
under the blanket of the Maple Leaf.
“The Nagano Olympics had a very patriotic impact on me and that was right around the time I was graduating. So I moved back to Canada, to Vancouver of all places.”
But the West Coast’s gloomy skies quickly made him realize how important sunshine is and it wasn’t long before he fled the big city back to the comfortable — and bright — confines of Medicine Hat.
“I really liked growing up here and I love the weather here,” he says. “And I’ve said this 100 times: I really liked growing up and having the ability to play like nine sports a year.”
With a young family now at his side, Bourassa wants to ensure his children have the same athletic opportunities he did. And it’s that love of sport that directed Bourassa to the area of chiropractic care he’s most known for.
Bourassa was able to disclose opening The Ridge Spine and Sport Centre late in 2004. Along with co-director and onsite physiotherapist Dustin Lang, Bourassa is responsible for the care and rehabilitation of numerous athletics teams and groups throughout Medicine Hat.
“The nice part about being in a place like Medicine Hat is the variety of your day,” he says. “In a smaller centre like this you can’t specialize in one specific genre; we just don’t have the population to support that.”
Bourassa is on two official medical staffs — the Medicine Hat Tigers and Vauxhall Baseball Academy. But he is also brought in contractually
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with several other teams, such as Moose Monarchs baseball, the MHC Rattlers and minor hockey.
“I guess you could say I’m a consultant to many of the sports organizations.”
For those who have seen him medically, it’s fair to say Bourassa is seen as more than a consultant. To countless many, Bourassa is an integral reason behind the continuous local production of superb athletes.
And who knows, maybe he’ll help someone reach those same Olympics that brought him back here in the first place.
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