Achieving Peak Performance
Massage Helps Women’s U.S. Soccer Team Score Big
By Chaz Hudd
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, February/March 2002.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.When Brandi Chastain ripped a penalty kick past China’s goalkeeper to win the World Cup for the United States, more than 90,000 spectators in the Rose Bowl exploded in joy. Another 40 million watching on television celebrated. It was perhaps the greatest moment in the history of women’s sports in America. It was the type of moment where years from now, people will remember where they were when the 1-0 championship game was finally decided in a shootout. Many more than the 90,000 or so on hand will claim to have been witnesses to history. Massage therapist Clinton Wynn can do them all one better. He was not only on hand, but lent his hands to help the triumphant moment come about.Wynn, a 27-year-old practitioner who resides in Gainesville, Fla., served as the national team’s massage therapist since January 1999. Traveling with the team throughout the year, he worked on every single member of the Cup-winning squad. His help in allowing the players to operate at a peak level of performance was vital in the U.S. women attaining their ultimate goal.”Clinton and Jim Faylo, who worked with him during the World Cup, were invaluable in the treatment they provided for us,” testified Tracy Ducar, a goalkeeper on the team. “We could not have been at our best without their help every day.”Ducar, a star at the University of North Carolina, which won three NCAA championships in her time there from 1991-1995, was especially appreciative of Wynn’s efforts. Suffering from back pain while in high school, Ducar discovered she had two cracks in her transverse processes. Spinal fusion was performed to correct the problem. Her back still acts up regularly, and she was one of Wynn’s frequent visitors.”Clinton knows each player’s individual needs, like me with my back,” Ducar explained. “With him constantly traveling with us, I don’t have to start from scratch with someone new every time we are in a different part of the country. Clint was always there real early to stretch me out when my back wouldn’t cooperate first thing in the morning. I felt much more limber out on the field. His treatment was a necessary part of my training. Without him, I couldn’t have made it through the six months of residency leading up to the World Cup. I require more time than most of the girls because of my back, and Clinton was always there to help me.”As is the case with many massage therapists, Wynn first became interested in the field after requiring treatment himself. In 1992 he was involved in an automobile wreck and suffered injuries.