The CA Ambassador
The title of ‘Ambassador for Cardiac Athletes’ is an elite member status for long term loyal members who have provided significant service to Cardiac Athletes. These members have demonstrated high standards of professional development and commitment to the goals and long-range activities of Cardiac Athletes.
The purpose of the ‘CA Ambassador’ Award:
Do NOT apply for this accolade if you just want another fancy-pretty certificate to hang on your wall at home. The award and title comes with responsibility and the expectation that you will continually use it to leverage improvement, and change, in any way you can dream up, for all Cardiac Athletes around the world.
The award is to recognise the member who exhibits a deep and ongoing interest and dedication to the goals and long-range activities of Cardiac Athletes. To reward loyal members who are regulars advising and guiding newcomers to our forums and who have not broken away and tried to create their own personal group taking our members with them. To more clearly identify ‘the’ ‘go-to’ ‘patient-expert’ for medical professionals to discuss matters of importance. To be the public voice of Cardiac Athletes in the media. To be trusted ‘bridge-builders’ between the world of Cardiac Athletes and the worlds of cardiology, sports cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation and sports medicine.
The idea to create CA Ambassadors evolved because a multinational and transcontinental charity just was not working. The main reason being “fairness”. If a team of Cardiac Athletes managed to raise substantial donations in one country and then a new AED-defib was placed in a different country, this just would not be fair. Better then to create leaders in various locations across the globe who could take a more active local interest and make positive changes in their own neighbourhood.
The candidate should consider the application for advancement to Ambassador status to be a request to become more active in the internal affairs of Cardiac Athletes, including serving in a leadership capacity. An applicant should not consider Ambassador status as a final step or for personal gratification or enhancement. Persons applying for Ambassador status should have demonstrated a high level of competence and ethical conduct with acceptable knowledge of the principles and practices of sports cardiology.
The reputation of Cardiac Athletes has been entrusted in you the CA Ambassadors. The future success of Cardiac Athletes is now in your hands.
Minimum requirements:
For those considering applying, there is a formal application and review process. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements for an application to be reviewed. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee advancement, only that the application will be reviewed. Reviews are completed twice a year. Deadlines to apply are February 1 and August 1.
Prospective applicants need to score 10 points from the following criteria:
Essential criteria (9 points needed):
- The applicant must have a cardiac history. [ one point ]
- The applicant must have been medically cleared for sports participation. [ one point ]
- The applicant must have regularly participated in Cardiac Athletes international online forum discussions for 1 to 2 years, freely sharing their sports cardiology knowledge with others and encouraging all. [ two points ]
- The applicant must have read and be familiar with all Cardiac Athletes website operating documents (Mission, Objectives, Terms, Policies, etc.) [ one point ]
- The applicant must have regularly worn the Cardiac Athletes team kit in public sporting events and venues. [ one point ]
- The applicant must have read Cardiac Athletes: Advance of the Ambassadors (and hopefully our book 1 also: Cardiac Athletes: Real Superheroes Beating Heart Disease). [ one point ]
- The applicant must have a recent (1-3 years) valid resus CPR, BLS Certificate. (The onus is on you to keep your CPR skills up once awarded CA Ambassador status). [ one point ]
- The applicant must state how they will use this accolade to leverage improvement and change for Cardiac Athletes locally (see: ‘Ambassador Frontiers’ below). [ one point ]
Additional alternative criteria (1 point needed):
- The applicant must have promoted Cardiac Athletes in the public media (book, magazine, journal, TV, radio, internet story, etc.) [ one point ]
- The applicant has arranged a Cardiac Athletes ‘meet-up’ or ‘team-up’ [ one point ]
- The applicant has attended a Cardiac Athletes ‘meet-up’ or ‘team-up’ [ one point ]
- The applicant has attained a professional qualification in a field related to Cardiac Athletes and Sports Cardiology since being a member [ one point ]
- The applicant has had to perform CPR / BLS ‘for real’ since being a member [ one point ]
- The applicant has raised substantial charitable funds for heart charities [ one point ]
- The applicant has purchased and placed an AED in the community from donations raised [ one point ]
- The applicant has provided a voluntary service to Cardiac Athletes (for example a team clothing store leader) [ one point ]
- ‘Other’ criteria suggested by you the members for my consideration [ one point, if deemed valid ]
Ambassador entitlements:
When awarded the title of ‘Ambassador for Cardiac Athletes’, successful applicants will shortly receive the following in the post:
- A metallic lapel pin badge ($10.11 AUD each)*
- A sew-on embroidery badge ($4.73 AUD each)*
- A prestigious certificate ($2.70 AUD each)*
- P&P (approx. $25.00 with Recorded Tracking)*
- Additionally you will be listed on the CA Website ‘Register of CA Ambassadors’ page along with your Sports Cardiology ‘Resume’.
- You will be entitled to add ‘Ambassador for Cardiac Athletes’ to your business cards and stationary
*(Paid from CA Book sales and our Donations link).
Ambassador Frontiers:
As a Cardiac Athlete Ambassador I hope you will work on one or more of the following frontiers:
- Pushing for more sports cardiology, more sports cardiologists and more sports cardiology clinics
- Creating a Google Map and Network of only CA recommended Sports Cardiologists
- Organising Basic Life Support / CPR training events within local communities
- Fighting for fairer health insurance for low risk Cardiac Athletes v’s. high risk Couch Potatoes
- Helping raise funds to reduce infant deaths from heart disease
- Stopping other heart patients spiralling into depression
- Organising large annual CA meet-ups and smaller local CA team events
- Fighting work place medical discrimination, being a work place role model and adviser
- Placing more AED’s around the world in key sporting locations
- Putting pressure on politicians and policy makers to introduce pre high school sports participation heart screenings, just as the Italians has done so successfully
- To have the achievements of Cardiac Athletes recorded and respected in the next Bethesda document
- To help Cardiac Athletes take part in key sports / medical research projects
- Putting pressure on pacemaker companies to stop the present trend of manufacturing cheaper and less effective (single sensor and leadless) pacemakers for sports participation and encourage a renewed development of truly physiologic pacemakers (dual blended sensors)
- Guest speaking at Cardiac Rehab and Heart Support Groups
- Speaking at International Cardiac Conferences
- Cardiac Athletes want their own ‘World Heart Games’ &/or ‘Special Olympics’. We are ready, NOW!
- and many other initiatives suggested by … the CA Ambassadors.
CA Ambassador ‘Distinguished Service Award’:
It doesn’t end with the award of CA Ambassador either. Athletes are a competitive bunch. We all like to come first, to be recognised as being the very best amoung our peers and contemporaries. Therefore I am thinking of creating an even higher award. One final level to reach that will give you one hell of an interesting journey through the world of sports cardiology. The ‘DSA’ or ‘Golden Cajones Award’ ? We have already come a long way. We no longer fear heart disease as we used to. We look it in the eye and crush it. We have even made ‘fun’ of it. That fun must continue, and so I think a points scoring system will satisfy the competitive appetites of most of our CA Ambassadors. The Award and the point scoring system we will thrash out in the coming days, weeks and months … but for now, here are some suggestions:
- 100 points for a local radio interview about CA
- 150 points for a local newspaper/magazine/journal article or story
- 200 points for a local TV interview
- 250 points for a state/county wide radio interview
- 300 points for a state/county wide newspaper/magazine/journal article or story
- 350 points for a state/county wide TV interview
- 400 points for a national radio interview
- 450 points for a national newspaper/magazine/journal article or story
- 500 points for a national TV interview
- 550 points for presenting at a national conference
- 600 points for presenting at an international conference
- 800 points for negotiating with heads of state
- 1000 points for shaking hands with a reputable US President whilst wearing the CA badge
So how many points have you scored so far as a CA Ambassador ? None of this is set in concrete yet so feel free to discuss your ideas and make suggestions on our CA Members Only Facebook Group page … thanks. Lars.