NHI Emeryville Massage Therapy Ambassadors  (MTAs) teamed up with ProCamps to provide sports massage to the participants at the Kevin Durant Inaugural Fantasy Basketball Experience from September 15 through 18. When I got the email that Kevin Durant Fantasy Camp organizers contacted NHI for a possible partnership, my eyes lit up (I may have screamed a little).  I am Chamara Pittman and I’m the MTA Coorindator on the NHI Emeryville campus and a huge Warriors fan. I immediately thought of all the MTAs that would love this opportunity (and how much I wanted a glimpse at the Warriors practice facility myself).  So, we made it happen. With the Warriors coming off another championship year, it was an easy sell to MTAs  to provide sports massage to the inaugural camp hosted by Finals MVP Kevin Durant. MTAs worked on game officials and adult campers aged 35+ before and after basketball games where they were coached by former college and NBA coaches.

I asked MTAs to document a day of their experience during the camp. Check it out:

Day 1 at the Kevin Durant Basketball Fantasy Experience in Oakland was fantastic! The energy in the room on the first day with the participants and the people working the event were just phenomenal! We were there from 12:15pm-5:45pm that day, and really only started massaging the players at the end of the day, after the two games they played. When they first arrived, they were already stretched out and ready to go! Many of the players had been coming to similar events over the years, in different cities, so most of them knew each other. It was great to see how they worked well together, all had high spirits, and when they were on the court, they played the best game they could! Their energy was on fire! A lot of the guys we massaged were out there doing spin moves, getting knocked down, just really going for it, I mean they paid $8,000-$12,000 to be there to play!! After those first games, they knew exactly where the NHI table was, and came straight to our tables. We got to meet the coolest guys, and lady (there was only one female player there) and most of them just came straight to that therapist when they were ready! It was such a fun experience to be right there on the court, taking the players when they needed relief. We were only supposed to be there until 5:30pm, but ended up finally leaving around 5:45pm due to more players needing a couple more stretches/massage for those legs; they worked hard!! All in all the day was an absolute success, and so much fun! – Shannon Odell

Spending three days at the KD experience was indeed an experience to remember. Being able to watch Kevin Durant and Chris Mullen have a 3-point shoot out  was one thing, but working on the players and cheering for them because they welcomed us for helping them win due to the great massage work we were providing, is why I love the work I do. For those three days, I watched players as they twisted their bodies, ran the courts, and tumbled over other players. It was our job to make them feel better and get them back to another game; it’s what we did. It was a lot of fun. And, one of the ESPN College Analyst, Dino Guadio, kept coming back to our table for grapes, too? Yeah, It was a good experience, indeed. – Jo Bruno

8:00 am: We began the day with several participants waiting at our table as we walked in, ready to sign up for a quick sports massage session.  The last games were about to begin to determine which teams advance to the Final game! Through the course of the weekend we encountered several players on one particular team that we cheered on from the sidelines. They made it to the Finals!! Not only did they make the Final game they WON!!!

The real highlight was when they received their Trophies from Kevin Durant and took several team photos with him, they came to our table and said we were the real MVP’s and gave us hi-fives, hugs, and grateful smiles!!

10:30 am: Although the realization that it was the last hour of the event made us all a little sad given all the fun we had, just being there to witness our dedicated work with the participants pay off, was overwhelming! We all left grateful for the experience and can’t wait until the next one! Thanks to the Pro-Camps and Warriors staff for having us! GO WARRIORS!!! – Kaela Petty

WHAT IS AN MTA?

Massage Therapy Ambassadors (MTA) are an elite group of NHI alumni who are committed to supporting the integrity and positive growth of the Massage Therapy Profession. It is an association intended to elevate the next generation of industry leaders.