Wintec Massage Therapist Bound For Commonwealth Games
Posted On: Monday, 31 May 2010
Wintec staff member Stephen Burden has been selected as one of two massage therapists to accompany the New Zealand team to the Commonwealth Games in India in October this year.
Stephen says he's thrilled and honoured to have been chosen by the New Zealand Olympic Committee, who recruits staff for both the Commonwealth Games and Olympics. "I've worked with a number of elite athletes and teams so the Commonwealth Games is the next step for me. I'm looking forward to working with these high performance athletes to help them achieve their Commonweath Games goals."
Wintec's head of Sports and Exercise Science, Denise Harnett, says her school is thrilled. "Stephen's selection is well-deserved and recognises his expertise and skills. The experience, knowledge and practical exposure he'll gain working with New Zealand's Commonwealth Games team will also be of great benefit to our students in the classroom," she says.
As Commonwealth Games athletes must be at the top of their game, so must support staff. To be eligible to apply for the position Stephen had to be a remedial massage therapist, listed service provider with the New Zealand Academy of Sport and had to have worked with athletes at an elite level.
The interview panel included Dave Currie - Chef de Mission, Lynne Coleman - Medical Director, and Alison Fitch - retired swimmer and athlete representative. Stephen says his experience wasn't the only thing being judged. Dave Currie placed a huge amount of importance on the massage therapist being a good fit with the team.
Stephen's clients read like a who's who of New Zealand sport. He's treated Black Caps, Tall Blacks, Silver Ferns, Chiefs and a number of individual athletes representing New Zealand. Stephen has a long-standing relationship with Rowing New Zealand - he was the team's massage therapist at the Rowing World Cup in 2006 and still treats world rowing champion Mahe Drysdale.
English born and South African educated Stephen was brought to Wintec nearly 10 years ago for his specialist knowledge in exercise rehabilitation - a field in which New Zealand was lacking. As postgraduate programme manager for Wintec's School of Sport and Exercise Science, Stephen teaches injury prevention, exercise rehabilitation, sports medicine and massage and recently developed Wintec's new Certificate of Massage (Level 4).
Wintec also has two students in the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team - Black Sticks hockey player Clarissa Eshuis and javelin thrower Stuart Farquhar.
The Commonwealth Games are being held in New Delhi, India from October 2-16.