Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1191154
From Football to Massage Long before A MC founder Jeppe Tengbjerg became interested in massage therapy, he had plenty of drive and a competitive spirit. As a former professional football player (soccer for those of us in the United States), Tengbjerg played for Denmark and Holland. He then went on to coach and was still coaching and playing while he attended massage therapy training in the late '90s. Since 2001, Tengbjerg has owned his own massage school, the Tengbjerg School of Massage, and is trained to the highest level of massage in Denmark. In 2016, he created the IMA to encourage higher education by developing and promoting the various massage techniques practiced by experienced massage therapists worldwide. "I wanted to create a master class for the best educated in Denmark," he says, "and I wanted to create a Danish Championship— and maybe a World Championship." Never one to plateau for long, Tengbjerg's vision for a World Championship was realized. "In 2016, I asked Carl Newbury (the founder of Massage World) and Ryan Hoyme (www.massagenerd.com) if they would help support my project," he says. "I didn't know them at the time, but they both replied the same day that they thought it was a great idea and they would help. The rest is history."