Daniel & Beth Kraeger
After graduating in January of his senior year at Marion High School in 1975, Dr. Kraeger had no plans to ever attend college. In the spring of 1976, he met Gary Nicholson, the head athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs. This was a pivotal moment in Dr. Kraeger’s life as it was the first time he heard the words “athletic training”. He enrolled for the fall semester at UWL when they were beginning to develop an athletic training major under Mr. John Eggert. In his junior year he reached out to the Chicago White Sox and was hired to be the athletic trainer for their Single-A baseball club in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1979. It was during that season that he had a second pivotal moment. Dr. Charles McKee, their team physician, asked him if he would ever consider a career in medicine. He returned to UW-L that fall and began taking pre-med classes. His class work would be interrupted in January when the White Sox asked him to work for the major league baseball club in Chicago. They wanted him to develop the injury prevention program that he implemented in Appleton, along with the rehabilitation programs he had learned from his head athletic trainer at UWL, Mr. David Leigh. Following the 1980 season, he returned to UW-L to conclude his degree. Dr. Kraeger went on to practice primary care sports medicine for thirty years.
Impact
The R.I.C.E. Athletic Training Scholarship is given yearly to a student athletic trainer who best embodies the attributes the Daniel Kraeger family values. Dr. Kraeger is a 1983 graduate of the University Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW-L). He graduated with a degree in Health Education, a minor in Chemistry, and a concentration in Athletic Training. Both he and his wife Beth (UW-Stevens Point 1981), along with their three children, Katelyn (Kraeger) MacKay UW-L 2011, Kinden (Kraeger) Vazquez UW-L 2013 and Tyler Kraeger UW-L 2018, are happy to present this scholarship to a deserving student enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Athletic Training program.
The R.I.C.E. acronym is part of the foundation of the treatment protocol used in the athletic training profession. Every student, upon entering the program, learns about R.I.C.E. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Throughout his years as a student athletic trainer at UW-L, Athletic training faculty including John Eggert, Dave Leigh, Karen Toburen, and others as well as the various coaches he encountered instilled in Dan a new meaning/significance for the R.I.C.E. acronym. He states, “I always felt the faculty and coaches I worked with Respected me for who I was. They Inspired me by filling me with confidence and a desire to pursue my dreams. I was Challenged many times by the sports coverage I was assigned and finally, I was Encouraged to pursue my dreams; initially working in professional baseball and later to pursue medical school.
This scholarship honors a student who possesses yet another definition of R.I.C.E.
RESILIENCE: To bounce back from setbacks. These individuals have a strong work ethic and adapt to challenges and maintain a positive outlook, even in difficult circumstances.
INTEGRITY: Upholding strong moral principles, honesty, and ethical behavior. These individuals are trustworthy and reliable.
CURIOSITY: Having a thirst for knowledge and a desire to explore. These individuals ask questions, seek answers, and continuously learn.
EMPATHY: Having the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. These individuals are compassionate and considerate of the people they care for.