Rub-a-dub-dub

Douglas athletes to receive free pre-game massages

By Courtnie Martin, Sports Reporter

The life of a student athlete can cause an overwhelming amount of stress, anxiety, and in some cases, depression or fear of failure. Along with the typical stressors of a young adult, the pressures of maintaining a respectable GPA, competing at the collegiate level, and representing an entire institution can certainly be the reason behind muscle discomfort. Since an athlete’s body endures a constant beating with minimal recovery time once in season, Douglas College has teamed up with Vancouver Career College to provide a much appreciated service for the athletes: massages.

Vancouver Career College’s registered massage therapists will offer 30-50 minute (depending on demand) sessions at home games on Fridays for all interested athletes; there is a sign-up sheet outside the athletic trainer’s office. This will be the first time that massages will be offered throughout the entire Royal Athletics department. While this new avenue for stress and pain relief is currently on a trial run, tangible results may open the door for a more permanent setup in the future.

“Vancouver Career [College] approached us with this awesome opportunity and I believe this will absolutely help our athletes, it will decrease any stiffness or tension as well as help with flexibility and will refresh the muscles,” said Douglas College’s head athletic therapist, Alvin Tseng.

Tseng typically treats eight to 10 athletes per day for injuries ranging from sprained ankles to torn ligaments, and with the college’s total number of athletes numbering over 100, he’s not complaining about the extra help.

The first test-run saw more than half of the players signed up within an hour of the information being released.

“I don’t think people understand how stressful it can be [being and athlete]. Not taking away from the everyday student, but I could use a massage now and again to just get away from stress and to allow myself time to regroup. I really appreciate what [they] are doing to help us,” said first-year post, Sarah Jorgenson.

Massages won’t completely dissolve all the issues an athlete endures, but research has proven them to be highly effective—especially in the recovery process. Besides, who can resist a free rub-a-dub-dub?