Courtesy: USA Swimming
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Swimming today announced its support staff for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The support staff for the pool team consists of two team physicians, a chiropractor, three massage therapists, and a team manager. The open water team will be accompanied by a team physician and a physical therapist.
“We are incredibly lucky to have such a decorated and personable group of individuals on our staff for Paris,” said USA Swimming National Team Managing Director, Lindsay Mintenko. “This group has been with us on numerous trips over the past few years and has helped our athletes maintain peak performance. I would like to thank them for their valuable time and effort behind the scenes that assist our team in becoming the best.”
Dr. Katie Edenfield and Dr. Brian Krabak have been selected as the team physicians. Dr. Edenfield serves as a team physician for the athletic department of the University of Florida, her alma mater, where she swam competitively. She served in a similar role for USA Swimming at the 2017 FINA (now World Aquatics) Junior Championships, 2019 Pan American Games, and the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Dr. Krabak is a physician at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. He served in a similar role with USA Swimming at the 2019 World University Games and the 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
Dr. Carrie Belleson will serve as the team chiropractor, and the trio of Megan Kerstetter, Bryan Fong, and John Janosko will serve as team massage therapists. This group has provided similar care at the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
The Team Manager, responsible for day-to-day logistics for the team, will be Adriana Quirke. She served in the same role for the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships and the 2019 FINA (now World Aquatics) World Junior Championships.
The open water team representing the U.S. in Paris will have Dr. Andy Gerken serve as their team physician. Dr. Gerken was a competitive swimmer at The Ohio State University and is currently a sports medicine physician in northern Ohio. He has served in the same capacity for the U.S. Open Water Team at the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Dr. Julie Gorman will serve as the team physical therapist for the open water swimmers. Gorman was a competitive swimmer at the University of Florida and was a nine-time national champion. She has served in the same capacity at the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Open Water Championships.
Should be more physical therapists and massage, maybe even a strength coach. A physician can’t do much on-site and chiros are… not appropriate to say the least. I hope the pool athletes can access the physical therapist when needed. Seems double weird to partition the specialities. A complete lack of understanding of the roles of these services.