Eric Heiden Column To Debut November 3

CHICAGO, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Five-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater and orthopedic surgeon Eric Heiden will write a new, weekly fitness column for Tribune Media Services (TMS), which plans to distribute it to print and online publishers in the United States and abroad beginning Tuesday, November 3.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091029/CG01878)

Each week Heiden will offer readers advice on lifelong fitness principles developed over decades as a skater, champion cyclist, surgeon and consultant to many sports teams. He will be in Vancouver in February as team doctor for the United States Olympic speed skating team.

"We are excited that one of the most admired athletes in modern American history will be writing a column for TMS and helping readers everywhere who are interested in healthier lives," said Mary Elson, managing editor of TMS. "Eric's unique position as a former world-class athlete and cutting-edge doctor will offer a perspective on fitness like no other. We're looking forward to providing his column at a time that many publishers are expanding their health-care coverage."

"Writing a column will be a great forum for me to connect with other athletes and exercise/health enthusiasts," said Heiden. "I'm proud of what I did as a speed skater, but I find what I'm doing in my practice, and now with the column, to be my most rewarding accomplishment."

Beyond his Olympic achievements, Heiden also became an accomplished cyclist and competed in the 1986 Tour de France. The son of an orthopedic surgeon who became an orthopedic surgeon himself, he co-founded the UC Davis Sports Performance Center in California, with his long-time professional partner, Dr. Massimo Testa. He now directs the Sports Medicine department at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (TOSH) in Salt Lake City and is the co-medical director for USA Cycling, also with Dr. Testa.

Heiden also works as team physician for several professional teams (including basketball's Sacramento Kings and Monarchs), and at Olympic speed-skating and cycling events. When short-track speed skater J.R. Celski suffered a severe cut to his leg in a racing accident in September, Heiden's treatment of the skater was chronicled in a New York Times sports cover story. Celski also turned to Heiden to develop a rehabilitation program so that he could resume training for the 2010 Olympics.

As Celski told the Times: "He's a five-time gold medalist in the Olympics. Who would you want taking care of you more than a former speed skater? He knows what he's doing."

Heiden appears frequently in the media, commenting on athletes' physical condition, injuries or on topical matters such as doping scandals. With his book, "Faster, Better, Stronger: Your Fitness Bible" (Collins 2008), co-written with Testa and DeAnne Musolf, Heiden became one of the few board-certified physicians in the United States to offer fitness advice to the public.

Heiden now lives and practices in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Karen, who is also an orthopedic surgeon. They have two children.

About Tribune Media Services

Tribune Media Services (TMS), a subsidiary of Tribune Company, is a leading provider of information and entertainment products for print, electronic and on-air media in the United States and abroad. It distributes TV and movie listings and related editorial content under the TMS and Zap2it brands; syndicates comics, editorial cartoons, features and opinion columns; creates and distributes a variety of online information products; licenses editorial content from national periodicals; and manages national advertising networks. TMS also markets news, features, information graphics and multimedia content to media clients around the world through the McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information, visit www.tmsfeatures.com.

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