CAREERS TRAVELLING WITH TEAMS

INSIDE THE INNER CIRCLE: EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL TEAM TRAVEL

BY ROB GRANTER, BSocSci, AssDipAppSci (MYOTHERAPY)

BEGINNINGS In 1988 I was invited to work with the Australian Institute of Sport swimming team at the Seoul Olympic trials in Sydney. Six months later I was contracted to work with the Australian Olympic swimming team in their final training camp before leaving for the Seoul Olympic Games. After working with this awesome group of athletes every

day for a week, I remember seeing them board the airport bus, en route to the Olympic Games. They looked a million dollars in their Australian team uniforms and they had smiles a mile wide.

I felt, for the first time in my life, that I was on the edge of the inner circle. This was a turning point in my career. My goal was to turn a dream into a practical, achievable, clear and exciting pathway that would lead me to the Olympic Games. I was committed to working hard and learning fast. My aim was to travel with an Australian Olympic team as a massage therapist and to be part of the inner circle. I returned to my Melbourne practice with more fire in my belly and a passion for knowledge. I made it to Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996

and the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 as head of massage therapy services for the Australian team. To get there I needed to be successful in three key areas: skill, effectiveness and organisation.

SKILL We must be great at what we do. How do we achieve this? By practice and by being guided by someone who is

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Having experienced being on the edge of the “inner circle” of the Australian Olympic team at their training camp in 1988, Rob Granter set himself the goal of travelling with the team and being inside the circle. Through hard work and dedication, he achieved his aim. In this article he sets out the requirements for being part of the inner circle. These requirements fall into three key areas: skill, effectiveness and organisation.

already doing what we want to do. These are some of the necessary skills required to be a great team therapist: ■ Well developed massage treatment skills – knowing what technique, depth and rate of application is appropriate to the context ■ Excellent knowledge of functional anatomy and human biomechanics ■ Excellent knowledge of surface anatomy ■ Excellent assessment skills, such as testing and palpation, and knowing when to treat and when to refer ■ The ability to concentrate and keep focused on the specific region being treated and the overall treatment plan ■ Knowledge of appropriate terminology of sports medicine

ACHIEVE EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS

SUCCESSFUL TEAMWORK ALLOWS ORDINARY PEOPLE TO

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