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WHEELING -- Dr. Alison Kreger has been selected as a physical therapist for the USA Track & Field team at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, from Oct. 20 through Nov. 5.
Kreger, who has been a physical therapist for 22 years and is board certified in pediatrics, says she works with everyone, "from the little guys to the elite athletes." Kreger became involved with the USATF team when she began officiating their events over 20 years ago, during which she would often perform pro bono work with the athletes. This helped her get to know the coaches and staff.
"Professionally, for me, I love working with the elite athletes, and I never thought I would say that because that was never my goal," said Kreger. "I have always done pediatrics, but track and field has allowed me to work with elite Olympic athletes, and it has been fantastic."
Kreger's journey to the Pan American Games began two years ago when she signed up to be a USATF medical volunteer and a U.S. Olympic Committee volunteer. This led to the USATF team flying her to the USATF NYC GRAND Prix in June of 2022 and 2023. Kreger's connections also gave her the opportunity to do a week of PT for bobsled, luge, and skeleton athletes in March at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center.
After gaining this hands-on experience with USATF, Kreger applied to be a medical volunteer at the Pan Am Games last October. She was thrilled to hear in January she would be going to the games as a PT for the USATF team, her first time traveling internationally with them.
Kreger describes herself as the "baby" of the nine-member USATF medical team as she has only been attending events for two years, while other team members have 15-20 years of experience. She has loved the opportunity to meet other health practitioners from all over the country who have been "very welcoming" and willing to answer her "8,000 questions."
The event also fits perfectly into Kreger's teaching schedule, as the portion of the games she will be attending in late October and early November takes place during spring break and midterms at WU.
"I like going to events like this because it's a break from the classroom," said Kreger. "Working as a PT at these large events also reinforces why I'm doing what I'm doing because I love it so much."
Kreger anticipates what she will do in Santiago to be similar to the PT work she has done with elite athletes and Olympians at the NYC Grand Prix and Lake Placid.
"I'm expecting a lot of stretching, soft tissue massages and injury treatment," she explained.
Kreger has already begun planning for how the location of the games will affect treatment for the athletes and believes the athletes will need to specifically adjust to altitude changes and the new environment. Kreger admitted she will need some time to get used to Santiago once they arrive as well.
"The big thing for me is going to be learning how to navigate the hordes of people," said Kreger. "There are going to be a lot of people down there."
By a lot of people, Kreger means athletes from 26 sports competing in 10 different stadiums across the Pan American Games venue, which Kreger described as a "mini-Olympics."
"A lot of people going down there to compete are trying to qualify for the Olympics in Paris next year, so it's a high-stakes environment," she added.
While the athletes there are using the Pan Am Games as a stepping stone in their careers, Kreger also plans to use the games as a way to improve her work as a PT.
"I get to see what elite athletes get treatment-wise in comparison to collegiate athletes, particularly at the D2 and D3 schools I work with in West Virginia," explained Kreger. "It's nice to see what's current in the field and bring that knowledge back here."
While in Santiago, Kreger wants to focus on getting her foot in the door to work at the 2024 Parapan American Games. Her goal is to make the connections that will help her bring adaptive sports to Wheeling, as it merges her background in pediatrics and assistive technology with her passion for track and field
"Paralympic athletes don't have a lot of options around here," said Kreger. "To practice, compete or even train, they would have to go to Texas, Southern Florida or California."
Kreger would like to introduce adaptive sports to the valley by hosting paralympic events in Wheeling and Mylan Park in Morgantown.
"I can't wait until we are able to offer adaptive sports in Wheeling and then see paralympics in the valley grow from there," added Kreger. "I'm really thankful for what I'm doing right now career-wise, and I can't wait to expand upon it after the Pan American Games."