Talking sports with ... physical therapist Zuzana Rogers

Zuzana Rogers, 44, is a physical therapist who came to UAA from Slovakia in 1994 on an alpine ski scholarship. She is the vice president of Advanced Physical Therapy in Anchorage and one of two Alaskans who are members of the U.S. Ski Team's medical team for the upcoming Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland (Greg Schumacher of Anchorage is a team physician). She and her husband, Andy, have two children, 10-year-old Lucas and 7-year-old Eva.

How did you get involved with the U.S. Ski Team?

Through my passion for sports physical therapy. It was about 2009, 2008 when I really discovered my passion for sports physical therapy. I started to reach out to the local sports teams in Anchorage because injury prevention was the way I wanted to go. It just happened that the APU (ski) team and I started working together really close. It evolved into me taking part at a couple training camps that the U.S. Ski Team was involved. I applied for their pool of physical therapists, and now it's my fourth season traveling with them.

What's it like for an alpine racer to hang around cross-country skiers? What have you learned about the nordic world?

They work very hard. They're amazing athletes.

It's different. Their philosophy is more toward endurance and body care and being able to sustain a large amount of training and recover properly. (In alpine skiing) we were going for the technique and the power and the precision.

The biggest part on the nordic side is making sure the athletes recover well so they can absorb the training volume they need to get better. It's really about making sure we treat very well or prevent any injures.

What is your role for the U.S. Ski Team?

My role is several-fold. When I travel with the ski team, if we've done our job right the rest of the season, we don't do a lot. Our main job is making sure the athletes recover well so they're ready for the next race.

We do a lot of restorative massages. If there are any tweaks or injuries, we manage that as well. The other thing, too, is we are kind of the liaison between the staff and the team. If we are needed we can go to doping control, or we can contact medical providers at the venue to make sure the athletes are well provided for.

Have you become a cross-country skier?

Yes, absolutely. I like being alone on the trails. I like to use my skis and get a little bit of a cardio workout and being out in nature.

How often do you alpine ski?

I coach youth training programs, the Hilltop Racing Program, twice a week. I work with skiers (ages) 6 to 14. I love it. I've always coached something since I stopped racing.

What sports do your kids do?

They do the alpine, the downhill skiing, and they do karate and we do Mighty Bikes in the summer that I coach as well. They've done Junior Nordic for several years (but) they decided to try alpine skiing because of the bad winters we've had. I see the value of them having skis on, it doesn't matter if they're nordic or alpine.

Does it help them to have a mom who is a former racer?

I don't know if it's a plus or minus. I know all the flaws, and I want everything to be perfect. But as a physical therapist I see how the motor patterns develop and I need to step back and let them figure it out. It's an interesting experience — we need to be a lot more patient (with young athletes). We can't force them into too many gate runs.

Does being a former competitor help when you're working with national-team athletes?

I know the atmosphere during the World Championships and the big races. I know the flow of the events, I know what the athletes are going through. It helps me to step back from my perspective and see the world from their eyes. I know what they need. I can (take) the nervousness on their shoulders and put (it) on mine.

Do you try to peak for an event like the World Championships the way an athlete does?

Absolutely. Having goals like this, having a big event, makes me want to learn a lot more. I am just finishing a two-year diploma program through the (International Olympic Committee) designed to connect all the (parts of sports medicine). It's dealing with regular physical therapy on top of nutrition, the recovery, the timing of it. I feel like staying on top of my game is really, really important.