By Chun Yuan Ong and Jeffrey Du

Meet Mr. Gallagher, our physical trainer here at SASPD. He enjoys staying active through running, golfing, and playing softball. He’s also found a balance between work and personal life—keeping up with the latest recovery techniques and hanging out with his dog Sage. 

From a young age, Mr. Gallagher had a keenness for sports. He enjoyed playing soccer, baseball, football, and golf. However, after an injury in his freshman year of high school, Mr. Gallagher realized he wouldn’t be around sports forever. However, he soon discovered an alternative to staying close with sports—becoming an athletic trainer to help athletes get back onto the field as fast as possible.

Before coming to SASPD, Mr. Gallagher worked with the Chinese wrestling national team—devising plans and helping athletes with recovery, warmups, cooldowns, and prehab everyday. 

When asked about his biggest struggles in his career, Mr. Gallagher points to transitioning to life in China. He said he realized there was a vastly different culture behind sport, injuries, and recovery here, compared to the U.S.. During this process, he picked up traditional Chinese medicine, cultural beliefs, and new approaches to injuries tailored for athletes of different backgrounds.

Lastly, we asked Mr. Gallagher: “What do you enjoy most about your job as an athletic trainer?” To which he responded: “When everyone is healthy, I’m basically getting paid to watch sports.”