BLACKSBURG -- As a physician for the U.S. freestyle and Alpine ski teams for the past decade, Gunnar Brolinson has gotten a close-up look at some of the skiers that Olympic viewers will be watching in the next few weeks.

Jeremy Bloom is perhaps the most famous moguls skier on the U.S. Olympic team because he used to be a football player at Colorado.

"I always joke with him that skiing moguls is about as close as you can get to football on snow ... because of the impact with the moguls," Brolinson said.

Brolinson likes Bloom because he is confident but not a guy that "shoots his mouth off."

The biggest name on the U.S. Alpine team, reigning World Cup overall champ Bode Miller, has been quite outspoken in recent interviews. Brolinson said Miller is nicer than he comes off in interviews. He loves watching Miller in action.

"His skiing style is a little bit unorthodox, but when he is on, there's nobody in the world that can ski as fast as he can," Brolinson said. "He is blazingly fast. He just has an ability to see lines that other people don't see."

Brolinson must diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and illnesses which skiers suffer. Ear infections can hinder an aerialist's balance. Moguls skiers have back pain because of the bumping the take going from one mogul to the next. Respiratory infections can be particularly problematic to skiers.

Some injuries can be quite severe, as demonstrated by the saga of aerialist Emily Cook. Her tale has all the makings of an NBC profile.

Cook suffered what Brolinson terms a "horrific" injury while training in Lake Placid in 2002. She broke her left foot and ankle and tore ligaments in both feet when the wind caused her to make a bad landing.

"She could easily have never skied again," Brolinson said. "When you're 40, 50 feet in the air and a puff of wind comes along and kind of blows you off course, you can end up with a bad problem. ... It's like jumping out of a third-story window and landing on your feet."

Brolinson was not in Lake Placid when the injury occurred, but Cook went to Blacksburg to consult with him before deciding to undergo a second surgery, which fused bones in her foot. After missing the 2002 Olympics and the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Cook will compete in Turin.

"I couldn't be more excited for her," Brolinson said. "It's really a fairy-tale story."