Dr. Patrick McLaughlin will head to Austria on Sunday to work with as the physician for the women’s U.S. Ski Team at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup race in Lienze, which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
McLaughlin, who works at Animas Spine, will be making his fourth trip to help out with the Team USA’s skiers. He first helped the team in 2010 in Finland and has since volunteered his services in Chile and Italy.
“It’s kind of a pinnacle – working with the best athletes in the world,” he said. “I definitely enjoy being with them in that environment. It’s personally and professionally rewarding.”
McLaughlin played college soccer at UCLA. Between undergraduate and graduate school, he said he spent 10 years a ski bum, teaching kids how to ski at Copper Mountain and later teaching adaptive skiing in Big Bear, California.
“On that first trip to Finland, being back with a team, reminded me of a time when training was my main job,“ he said, referring to his time at UCLA. ”I feel like I can relate to them.“
At one event, when there was too much snow to ski, he spent two days playing volleyball with the team as part of its dryland training.
“You’re part of the team and doing everything with them,” he said, noting that he’ll eat meals with the team and coaches, attend the same meetings and be on the course with them.
His first conversation with Bode Miller, back when Miller was in his prime, wasn’t about skiing or other sports, however, it was about kids. McLaughlin has 11-year-old twins, and Miller is a father of seven.
“Obviously they have other lives,” he said, but noted most people only know about the athletes as skiers.
As team physician, McLaughlin also gets to inspect the courses, which has helped him appreciate even more what the skiers do. He remembered one course in Italy at Cortina d’ Ampezzo, known as the “Queen of the Dolomites,” that was steep and tight. Since they don’t want any extra snow on the course because it slows the skiers down, he couldn’t sidestep down it either.
“We had to point it through a 100-yard shot that was straight down through some cliffs,” he said. “When they’re skiing, they go so fast in conditions we would consider terrible or ice; that’s what they love.”
Going at speeds upward of 70 mph on ice-hard courses, however, is dangerous. That’s why McLaughlin is needed.
“When they do crash, they’re going so fast it’s almost guaranteed there will be some sort of injury. I’m mainly there in case somebody gets hurt and to advocate for them,” he said, noting that he’ll be carrying around a 40-pound pack filled with lifesaving equipment.
So far he hasn’t had to deal with a serious injury with Team USA, just a couple shoulder injuries he called “minor.” “Often I’m dealing with colds and minor injuries, but I’m prepared to do major, crazy things,” he said.
He also said helping Team USA is good training, giving him access to other doctors in the field and forcing him to keep up with new rules and practices.
Beyond that, however, he said he grew up watching the skiers on TV and that it was “surreal“ when he first got to stand in the starting gate a World Cup race.
“Any major event is cool to go as a spectator, but being part of it is just different,” he said.
In Austria, Mikaela Shiffrin is one skier hes looking forward to watching compete.
“I’m excited to see Mikaela skiing,” he said. “She’s probably the best skier in the world at slalom and giant slalom. It will be cool to provide support for them as they prepare for the Olympics.”
COVID has also impacted the sport and when he arrives in Austria he’ll join the team in a bubble. The organization is sending him a bunch COVID test kits that he’ll take with him to restock the team’s supply.
“My biggest concern at the moment is getting stuck over there,” he said.
In Durango, McLaughlin’s practice primarily provides nonoperative spine care and regenerative medicine therapies, such as platelet rich plasma and stem cell treatments for chronic and acute pain and disability.
To help skiers who aren’t on the World Cup circuit stay healthy, he said it’s important to get fit before venturing out to a ski area.
“Make sure you’re fit before you even go out on a hill,” he said. “These athletes train all year, and on days they can’t ski, they do dryland training or cross-training.”
That cross-training is also important to make your muscles work in different ways.
“Make sure you’re mixing up what you’re doing to diversify you’re workouts,” he said.
The slalom competition will take place in Lienze on Tuesday, and giant slalom will follow on Wednesday. McLaughlin plans to return home the following Friday.
“It’s usually pretty quick trips, but they’re fun,” he said.
