For Doc Rivers, renowned 13-year NBA veteran player, NBA 1999-2000 Coach of the Year, and current coach of the Boston Celtics, massage has always been critical to maintaining optimal athletic performance. In Orlando, Monica Reno is his Massage Therapist of choice. On Friday, July 28, 2006, Doc Rivers and a host of NBA, PGA, and LPGA celebrities will take to the fairway at the Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort in Orlando, Florida to raise funds for the charitable organization Shepherd’s Hope. And Monica Reno will bring along a flock of Student and Alumni volunteers from the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy (CFSMT) to provide massage for Doc and the other players right on the golf course.
For Doc Rivers, renowned 13-year NBA veteran player, NBA 1999-2000 Coach of the Year, and current coach of the Boston Celtics, massage has always been critical to maintaining optimal athletic performance. In Orlando, Monica Reno is his Massage Therapist of choice. When Doc Rivers and a host of NBA, PGA, and LPGA celebrities take to the fairway at the Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort to raise funds for Shepherd’s Hope, Monica will bring along a flock of Student and Alumni volunteers from the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy (CFSMT) in Orlando to provide massage right on the golf course.
All proceeds of the Doc Rivers Celebrity Golf Invitational will be donated to Shepherd’s Hope, a charity that makes health care available to Central Florida’s uninsured. Each celebrity will lead a team of amateurs through the game as Monica supervises student massage therapists to help players loosen up their swing between rounds, and lower their scores.
Monica Reno has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1984. She is a marathon runner, triathlete, and a USA triathlon coach. For more than 10 years Monica was a Massage Therapist for the NFL. Now sports injury rehabilitation and prevention is the mainstay of her massage practice, ATP Massage, in Winter Park, Florida. She is also the Director of Education for the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy in Winter Park, and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.
Doc Rivers has worked with Monica as his massage therapist since 2004. According to Rivers: "For an athlete, massage really helps to prevent injury. I’ve had chronic back pain for years and Monica keeps me going. She’s an expert and it’s great working with her."
For her part, Monica says "It’s a privilege and a pleasure to work with Doc – on the massage table – and at his Celebrity Golf Tournament. He’s an inspiration as an athlete, a coach, and a person, and a big advocate of massage. It’s important that my students from The Central Florida School of Massage Therapy have the experience of contributing and learning at an event like this. I’m grateful Doc has invited us to participate."
The Central Florida School of Massage Therapy is owned and directed by Michael McGillicuddy. Like Monica, Michael has been a sports massage therapist for more than 20 years and has achieved notoriety as a specialist. For example, he was named Florida sports massage therapist of the year in 1994 and was chosen to work in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the same year he opened the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy in Orlando. He’s passionate about sharing his knowledge of sports massage as well as other massage modalities with budding therapists. Michael is a cyclist and runner, and has just completed a four-year term as President of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association.
"Our students get lots of hands-on practical experience during their training - both in sports massage and in a variety of other modalities - in our clinic, and at community events like this one." Michael commented. "That’s one of the ways we prepare them to hit the ground running when they graduate. Participating in Doc Rivers’ Celebrity Golf Tournament is a great opportunity for them – the kind we really like them to have."
Mr. McGillicuddy added: "At The Central Florida School of Massage Therapy we want to share how wonderful massage is with our community. We invite you to call and come in for a massage in our student clinic, or to come visit us to find out more about what we do. And, if you happen to be looking for a new career, it would be our pleasure to introduce you to a field that is both personally and professionally rewarding. Our next school session is coming right up – September 18, 2006. Please call us at 407-673-6776 to get more information."
Doc Rivers’ Celebrity Golf Invitational promises to be quite a show, complete with awards, raffles, and massage therapy right on the green. Last year the tournament sold out in two weeks.
