Thank You AMTA-IL

by Christine Stearns, Secretary AMTA, Illinois Chapter

I’ve been Licensed Massage Therapist since 2013 and last month marked the fourth time I attended the annual AMTA-IL Spring Conference.

This year I decided to register for a class in a modality that I never really had much interest in; Sports Massage. Prior to this, the only and brief exposure I had to Sports Massage was while I was in school,

where we were required to work with the 7 foot 250 pound basketball players on the school’s basketball team. It was then I decided I didn’t want anything to do with that modality after I graduated because I didn’t think I was strong enough to endure that kind of body work.

After taking an 8-hour CE class in “Sports Massage: Developing a Session Plan” at this year’s AMTA-IL conference, my perspective changed. This class went beyond the basics. I learned and practiced more advanced techniques that were not covered in school.

In addition to the excellent teaching of Steve Jurch, I was fortunate to be in class with other Sports Massage Therapists who shared their own knowledge and helped me with the hands-on application of the course. As a result I learned new and better applications and improved my overall posture that would save me from fatigue.

If it hadn’t been for the AMTA-IL annual conferences and the variety of classes offered these past few years, I may have become stagnant in my profession. Each year I feel refreshed with a sense of renewal. I’m truly grateful for the educational opportunities I’ve had through my membership, and it gets better each year.

AMTA-IL is in the top 10 chapters in the nation and considered a model for other chapters, and one of the reasons for their success is they invite highly skilled and accomplished educators to teach continuing education classes at their annual conference and during the year throughout the state.

I am writing to encourage all massage therapy students and LMT’s new and old to continue your membership with and education through AMTA-IL. The Board of Directors under the guidance of the national office strive to continue working for the members; continually offering new and innovative CE classes along with top-rated instructors, which allows their members to expand their knowledge and broaden their horizons.

Thank you AMTA-IL. See you next spring!