Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/665755
64 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 1 6 T HE LENS THROUGH which we typically look at the beginnings of sports massage is colored by tales of ancient Greek Olympians being massaged with oils and herbs, with the goal of creating a better athlete, a better competitor, a better champion. Truth is, it remains a pretty accurate view of what sports massage can do. Sports massage today is a valuable component in most collegiate, professional, and Olympic training programs across the country. Modern-day athletes and trainers know about massage therapy and its value in the training room, both for recovery and competitiveness. Go behind the scenes at any international sporting event, and you'll find massage therapists—working for an individual athlete, a team, or an organization. And more sports medicine teams are including massage therapists in their ranks. But this wasn't always the case. What was the path that brought sports massage to its current position? How did this niche therapy evolve to being an important partner in today's sports medicine teams? To appreciate the path traveled, we look to those who have lived it—the leaders, and often unsung leaders, of the field of sports massage who witnessed firsthand the profession's growth and evolution, and who helped it happen. Let's let their memories create insight into the journey from there to here, and identify a few of the milestones along this cobbled path. Reigniting the Fire Sports massage in the United States got a kick-start during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, when Lasse Viren, otherwise known as the "Flying Finn," won both the 5K and 10K race in record time. The buzz started when Viren divulged he was receiving deep-tissue massage on a daily basis. Massage therapists around the world, and especially here in the United States, stood up and took notice.