Dr. Patti Gonzalez won’t be competing for a gold medal at the upcoming Olympics in London, but she will try to help contribute to Team USA’s success in a different way.
Gonzalez, who works at Shumake Family Chiropractic in Aurora, is part of a group of 172 doctors, chiropractors, other health workers and family members who are part of the Maximized Living Sports Council, who have been working with athletes in several sports prior to the start of the Games on July 27.
Gonzalez and her colleagues head to London on Aug. 2 to help out with the second half of the Games, focusing on members of USA’s judo, weightlifting, wrestling and sitting volleyball (paralympic).
“A lot of us are there for backup and support in any way that we can be,” Gonzalez said. “We can’t be out there on the floor with them when they are competing, but we can be in the warm up areas and working with them before and after their events.”
Those in the Maximize Living program work with the athletes on the proper nutrition, strength and endurance workouts and maintenance of the nervous system.
Gonzalez — who has also worked with the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team — has focused on athletes judo and wrestling, who she has helped with quick, safe weight loss without losing strength.
On Aug. 4, Gonzalez, her husband and colleagues will have the opportunity to visit the Team USA house in the Olympic Village, which is very rarely open to non-athletes. They could be part of a gold medal ceremony celebration, possibly one including Missy Franklin of Aurora’s Regis Jesuit High School.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
