The incredible London 2012 Aquatics Centre, where I spent all my time!

LONDON 2012 AS THE SOFT TISSUE THERAPIST TO THE GB DIVING TEAM

BY SARAH CHAMPION, MSMA

It’s 14th July 2012 and my dream has come true – me, and the rest of the team are London-bound to prepare for the most spectacular and prestigious event in our sporting calendar....the Olympics. And, as the soft tissue therapist for the GB Diving team I am also the envy of every teenage girl in the country! I’ve worked with the GB Diving team, my second family, for over two years, but during that time it’s always been about the weeks marked in red pen in the diary starting on the 27.07.2012. Nothing will ever beat that feeling of expectation and excitement about what’s to come. I have worked closely with the team, travelling to 7 countries already this year, with over 120 days away from home. I was living every step of the journey with them. Because of my existing role I didn’t have to volunteer to be a part of the experience, although I would have done if required. Nothing would have stopped me from being there! Throughout the whole competition

my heart was in my mouth, desperate for each and every one of the team to do well. Every morning I woke up determined to put my heart and soul into my job to help the next athlete Sometimes I found it hard, particularly after a difficult previous day, to lift myself, and the rest of the team, and focus on the new day ahead – but

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this was absolutely crucial. These athletes have spent the

last four years building up to this one moment and initially that’s tough to comprehend. You are part of the team trying to increase the chances of a medal, and when performances are below expectation you feel part of that responsibility. The whole team does. But then you win a medal, as Tom Daley did, and that moment is unforgettable. It makes all the hard work absolutely worth it. I felt so proud of them, proud of all the hard work and effort, dedication and focus. And to be even just a small part of that success makes it the most rewarding job in the whole world. To hear the crowd cheering, to see smiles everywhere you look and to feel that sense of relief, joy, happiness within the team, wow...just wow. The support team knows how much pressure some of those athletes are under and the weight of expectation on them. You are as much a friend, confidante, and trusted ally, as you are a practitioner, ready to offer support wherever you can. Your position on the team doesn’t entirely depend on your soft tissue skill, although obviously that’s hugely important, but also on your attitude, personality, the way you fit into the team environment, and the way you communicate, are all vital parts of the job. The managers, coaches, athletes and the rest of the medical team need to be able to trust and respect you, feel comfortable with you and know they can rely on you.

Experiencing London 2012 has

confirmed how lucky I am to be doing a job I absolutely love. It’s given me a renewed passion which I’ve taken back to my clinic work. The clients I see on a daily basis may not be medal winners but it’s just as rewarding to see them jump off the treatment couch pain-free. Everyone after all has their own race to run.

Coming back to ‘normality’ was a bit of a shock initially, mixed with the happiness of being home was the reality that the dream is over, for now. I made a conscious effort to create a new focus by opening a new treatment room. Outside of the Olympic bubble I needed it to give myself new purpose. It worked and I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. For me, working at the Olympics was all I ever wanted to do since qualifying, and achieving this has made me more confident that dreams can come true. My advice is to take every opportunity and experience that you can, and work as hard as possible to keep striving for the best. Here’s to Rio 2016... hope to see you there!

THE AUTHOR Sarah Champion is the soft tissue therapist for the GB Diving Team who she worked with at the

London 2012 Olympics. When she’s not working for the English Institute of Sport, she treats in a private practice in her home town of Southampton. She has run her own business, Elements, since 2009 and is a level 4 SMA member, a biomechanics trainer and yoga devotee.

Me and the rest of the GB Diving team

Me and Tom Daley at the training pool in Southend

sportEX dynamics 2012;54(October):31-34