MY JOURNEY
March 2019 marked the launch of SLW Sports Massage...which now seems a very distant memory!
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for sports, starting off with gymnastics at a young age, leading to athletics and netball during my school years. I competed at county level for athletics - 200m sprint, long jump and high jump (despite being 5ft 2") and absolutely loved it. To this day I still have my Adidas running spikes from when I was a teenager and I made it my mission to test them out again as part of my '30 things to do before I'm 30' bucket list...this now gives you a good idea of my age and the fact my feet have not grown in all these years.
After many years of competing for various different athletics clubs, I moved more towards my other sporting passion - netball. Like many, I played as much netball at school as I could but it was only when I started playing for a local team in the MKINL that I honed in on my ability to jump high and move quickly around a court - two skills that enabled me to play centre court positions (C, WA, WD). My passion and dedication to netball took me from playing locally all the way up to regional level where I competed for 7 years, 4 of which I was named captain.
I absolutely love netball, in fact, any team sport. I'm a huge advocate of being part of the team and the benefits and learnings it can bring to an individual throughout life.
So why did I stop playing regional netball and how did this lead me to become a sports massage therapist?
INJURY
Yep that's right, I got injured, a story I'm sure will resonate with many.
I can't say the injury was the sole factor as it certainly triggered other reasons. Pretty early on in the 2015 season, I badly damaged my right ankle and foot - a classic ankle roll x 10. I spent almost 9 months, 3 of which on crutches unable to play netball and do any high-intensity exercise. Despite my commitment to rehab and several rounds of physio & sports massage I never truly got back to the player I was. My injury happened at a time when I was playing my best netball and so to get back to that was always going to be tough, both physically and mentally. I did try and return but that feeling of not performing at my best really got to me and so I decided to call it a day and bow out of the regional game.
REHAB
During my rehab I received sports massage every 3-4 weeks and to this day I still see the same sports massage therapist regularly. Growing up as a sporty type, injuries were not uncommon - sprained ankles, bruised fingers, pulled muscles but nothing serious enough to stop me doing what I loved, until of course my bad netball injury. As well as the extensive treatment I received for my ankle, my sports massage therapist has been there for me treating the various 'niggles' I've got over the years...
Naturally, my love for sport & exercise drew me in to taking PE for GCSE and then a Sports Science National Diploma at Bletchley College. I knew from a fairly young age that I wanted to work within the sports industry and so the diploma offered me a broad but detailed understanding of the various sports science disciplines.
My rehab also added to that knowledge and passion and I took an active interest in understanding how the treatment I was receiving was helping me recover.
BECOMING A SPORTS MASSAGE THERAPIST
Roll forward a number of years...having spent my time on a slightly different career path in Marketing, I made the exciting decision to go back to my roots...and there I was, back at Bletchley College completing a VTCT Level 3 Sports Massage qualification.
Having spent so much time myself receiving and understanding sports massage therapy, teamed with my previous diploma and love for sport, I knew changing career paths was the right thing for me.
My background has made me even more passionate about helping people whether in a sporting environment or not. So many people suffer with pain, whether from an injury, a muscular imbalance, a specific condition or simply the effects life has on our bodies, so the more I can help the more drive I have in creating a successful sports massage business helping you move more and feel better!