With 15 events and counting in 2009, the National Holistic Institute’s San Jose Sports Massage Team looks forward to 2010 with 7 events already planned.

A whopping 140 students participated in a wide range of events including the AFM motorcycle endurance ride, I Care Classic cycling tour, Forest of Nisene Marks Trail Run, Tour de [Read more →]

National Holistic Institute teacher Lucas Nevarez coordinated our largest volunteer sports massage event so far this year.  Here is his report from the field.

The NHI Sports Massage Team at the 2009 Nike Women’s Marathon did a fantastic job!  Over 110 students, graduates, and staff from all 4 Northern California campuses came together to provide over 1,350 massages to these exhausted runners.   

It was a success by many measures – [Read more →]

NHI Student William King

Generally, the National Holistic Institute Sports Massage Team doesn’t travel so far for an event, but this one was too good to pass up.  The Best Buddies Challenge at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA, promised to have the energy of a big family gathering – as participants, sponsors and notable guests celebrated and raised funds for people with intellectual disabilities.  It didn’t disappoint!

The NHI students joined others to create a team of 31 massage therapists.  They provided 465 15-minute massage to cyclists in 100-, 62-, 35- and 15-mile bike rides as well as 3k walkers and 5k runners.  Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis and [Read more →]

Huge thanks to National Holistic Institute Group #30 Senior and NHI Sports Team member Bar Houston for contributing this story…

Pacific Grove Triathlon was another great success! Thanks to NHI teacher Conrad Santos and the nine NHI massage therapists that made the drive to Pacific Grove.

The massage tables and chair arrived in the fog about 6:15am in time to find a decent parking place, but not in time to get into the vendor area. With the help of some high school volunteers and Group 31 MTs, we managed to get 8 tables, 1 massage chair and all the supplies the quarter mile down to our two pop-up tents. Kate and Lynn were our contacts at the event and were very helpful in arranging for a table and access to the Hospitality Tent for breakfast. By 8:00am everyone had arrived, event T-shirts were passed out, and we reviewed the do’s and don’ts for post-event massage. The radio was in place and Anastacio had a perfect radio station setting the pace and we were off to breakfast. [Read more →]

Eight members of National Holistic Institute’s San Jose Campus Sports Massage Team donated their time and talents to raise $500 for the American Cancer Society by providing massage therapy for the participants of the Los Gatos Relay for Life.  The NHI students worked from dawn to dusk providing relief for achy lower backs and knotted calves.  Relay For Life can be considered the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. They are overnight events and can last up to 24 hours in length.  The event in Los Gatos was held at the track at Rolling Meadows Middle School.  The NHI Sports Massage Team offered $1/minute massages throughout the day and by 8:00 pm had collected a considerable donation to a great cause.

Sunday, March 8^th, was a beautiful day in Menlo Park!  Nineteen members of the National Holistic Institute Sports Team worked on 137 cyclists under the supervision of instructors Beth McNeill and Mark Nielsen at the Tri-Flow Grand Prix sponsored by the Velo Girls.

Students from NHI Groups 30, 31, 32, & 37 had taken part in a training on pre- and post-event massage for cyclists and were ready to work.  By about 10:15, the finishers of the first race made their way to the tables. The Sports Team worked on cyclists in each of the ten races.  The last cyclist was off the table around 5:00.

This was the first time massage was present at the Tri Flow Grand Prix and the cyclists were excited to see the NHI banner.  They were very gracious as well – the team earned $245 in tips!  This was a great first outing for the NHI Sports Team in 2009.

Thanks, Beth & Mark, for contributing this story and photos.