In order to close the gap between theory and practice, and to offer an unprecedented quality of hands-on instruction to its students, Ridley Lowell Business & Technical Institute in Danbury has formed a collaborative Sports Massage Program with the Danbury Whalers Hockey Team. The program had a logical evolution as Steve Tullino, who spearheaded the unique collaboration, considered a win-win situation from both educational and athletic perspectives, is the official massage therapist for the Whalers and a Ridley Lowell instructor, and Ridley’s director, Lauren Weymouth, is a triathlon athlete. Because this program takes place in both classroom and sports arena, the level of enthusiasm is high for both student and athlete.  Students who find textbook learning tedious can now correlate the contents of a chart to its location on the human body, while a professional athlete’s superior muscle definition becomes a learning tool when it comes to identifying muscles and their landmark characteristics. Sessions at the Whalers’ rink give students an opportunity to perform in an exciting environment as they acquire palpatory skills in the best of both worlds.

Ridley-Lowell is an accredited institution offering skilled training in the following fields: Massage Therapy, Medical Assisting, Medical Administration Assisting, and Medical Billing and Coding. Day and evening classes, financial aid (if eligible), and free placement assistance are available. Ridley-Lowell is located at 44 Shelter Rock Road, Danbury. Call 203.797.0551 or visit Ridley.edu for more information.