The hundreds of Jamaicans student athletes who attend the Penn Relays yearly do so without their school’s medical staff. But don’t worry, Team Jamaica Bickle physicians are here.

With this year’s edition of the Penn Relays deemed to be the coldest in recent memory, I am at risk of picking up injuries to my nose, ears and lips mostly. But the athletes are at risk of picking up serious muscle injuries and now, more than ever, they need the assistance.

Dr Thien Dang-Tan, Dr Fernando Herrera, Jon Ross and Matt Pringle have been assisting the Jamaicans and other countries from the wider Caribbean. Dr Dang-Tan revealed they do so just for the love of it.

“We have been helping with Team Jamaica Bickle for the past 10 years as the official medical team and chiropractic team providing performance care for all the athletes,” he said.

“For us the main drive is really taking the body’s ability to the full extent and the opportunity to work with team Jamaica and young athletes and to see them develop is truly a learning experience for us just as much as our service to the teams,” Dang-Tan added.

Temperatures have reached as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit and I pity the runners who are stripped down to limited clothing when they have to compete. I can’t say I know what they are going through because I’m in three shirts and a jacket, underwear, shorts and pants. If my shoes were bigger, I would be sporting three socks at least.

But what makes Dr Dang-Tan and his crew more special is that these guys all come from different places for one common goal.

“It is difficult on a lot of fronts. Logistically we have some of the world’s best healthcare providers from Puerto Rico, from the United States, from Canada and we all come together for the benefit of the athletes.

“Logistically we leave our practices to volunteer and participate in this event. But we do it because we love doing it and you know every year we get satisfaction out of seeing podium performances,” said Dr Dang-Tan.