How many athletic trainers get the chance to work closely with Olympic athletes? For Craig Elder, associate professor of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at Southeast Missouri State University, working with professional athletes is just another day on the job.

Elder spends some of his free time volunteering with the United States Olympic Committee’s Paralympic teams as a certified athletic trainer.

According to the official Web site of the U.S. Paralympic Team, the Paralympic Games is an international competition among each nation’s elite athletes with physical disabilities and is second in size only to the Olympic Games. In fact, the Paralympic Games follow the Olympic Games at the same venues and facilities. They offer competition to athletes who are blind or visually impaired, have amputated limbs, have spinal cord injuries and athletes who have motor impairments due to cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury or stroke.

Elder was chosen to be an athletic trainer for Paralympic athletes after he completed a two-week internship program at a United States Olympic Committee training center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I work one-on-one with the athletes providing care for any injuries they may have, and design rehabilitation and conditioning programs for them,” said Elder. “I am also available for emergencies.”

Recently, Elder was in Italy for a shooting competition prior to the World Championships in Switzerland when he had to rush an athlete to the emergency room.

“It was very challenging to communicate with the front desk in the emergency room; however, I found that the physician and I could communicate well despite our limited knowledge of the other’s language,” said Elder.

Elder assisted several athletes with varying conditions; one athlete was confined to a wheelchair because of limited leg mobility; another athlete was a paraplegic; one had muscular dystrophy; another had cerebral palsy and one athlete was a dwarf with multiple birth defects.

This past summer, Elder worked with athletes who were competing in a shooting competition. Shooting involves the use of pistols or rifles to fire a series of shots at a stationary target. Shooting styles differ in the distance, nature and form of the target, type of firearm, ammunition used, as well as the position of the athlete, the timing and the number of shots fired. Elder helped specifically with the 10-meter air rifle competition, as well as the 50-meter .22 caliber rifle and handgun competition. 

While Elder was in Europe, his daily schedule consisted of assisting the athletes with any rehabilitative exercises they needed, stretching them prior to their competition and assisting with transfers in and out of vehicles.

Elder said he enjoys athletic training because of its benevolent nature.

“I am interested in serving and helping others, which are the very cornerstones of the athletic training profession,” said Elder.

Elder was born in Cartersville, Ga. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Berry College in 1991, a Master’s of Education in exercise physiology from Auburn University in 1992, and a doctoral degree in health education and promotion from the University of Alabama in 2000. He said he chose teaching as a career because he likes to mentor undergraduate students.

“I enjoy seeing students gain confidence in their athletic training skills and then become successful professionals,” said Elder.

As a part of Southeast’s Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Elder teaches Injury Evaluation, Therapeutic Modalities, Organization and Administration and Sports Pharmacology. In the classroom, he incorporates previous experiences from his career and utilizes computer games such as Jeopardy! to review important information. He also volunteers with Southeast’s softball, volleyball, baseball, football and soccer teams on an as-needed basis.

During his free time, Elder said he likes to stay in shape by biking and hiking, but rock climbing is his latest interest. In fact, for the last two summers he has traveled to Kenya to work for Brackenhurst Ministries, a missionary organization. During that time, he was able to hike Mount Kenya and rock climb at Hell’s Gate National Park.

Elder’s best advice for Southeast students is to explore every interest they may have in a field of work.

“The key to success at Southeast,” Elder said, “is to observe as many professionals in the field as possible in a variety of careers. This will help to solidify your choice of an undergraduate degree.”

The U.S. Paralympics Shooting team at the 2006 IPC Shooting World Championship in Sargons, Switzerland. Front row, left to right: Doug Bermel, Barbaro Ponce, Mike Dickey. Back row, left to right: Josh Olson, Tabatha Kirke, Danielle Fong, Craig Elder, Thomas Monto

Craig enjoys the challenge of climbing, and is seen here scaling a rock face at Hell's Gate National Park during a trip to Kenya.

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