Q & A WITH DALIAH HURWITZ

Over the next couple of months, Daliah Hurwitz will take our readers through each of the Wintergreen™ products, their benefits, how she uses them and how you can use them – whether you’re a professional athlete or not. We caught up with her for a chat. We hope you enjoy this Q & A.

Daliah Hurwitz has spent more than two decades as a sports massage therapist to international sportsmen and women around the world, but with a particular focus on rugby.  She chatted to us recently before she heads off to her next assignment in the USA.

You have worked with many of the world’s top rugby players over 20 years – how did you end up in the world of international rugby? 

Study, hard work, professionalism, tenacity and a little bit of chutzpah!

Growing up, my Mom loved massage and meditation, and Eastern philosophies around holistic health have always fascinated me.  Rugby has been a big part of my life since I was teenager, so it was a natural progression to combine my interests in health and fitness with assisting rugby players to achieve their best, and to keep their bodies in the peak condition needed to perform at national and international levels.

What was your first job after graduating as a sports massage therapist?

I spent six years as the Bulls rugby team’s full-time massage therapist.  I was lucky to be a part of what would become an incredible, decade-long winning streak for the Bulls in the early 2000’s.  If you watched any matches at Loftus Stadium during that time, I would be on the side of the field with my ever-present tubs and tubes of Wintergreen™, warming up the muscles of the players and making sure that their bodies could maintain the levels of physicality it takes to be a professional player.

After my initial studies and training as a sports massage therapist, the hours spent with these players, on and off the field, led me to realize that besides the physical preparation necessary to compete and succeed at that level, mental health, and how that affects the body, was just as important.

There are so many interesting health, healing and massage modalities out there. Which ones have you studied?

What has been the highlight of your career so far? 

I was fortunate to spend 8 years as the massage therapist for the current Rugby world champions, the Springboks.  The dedication and professionalism needed by players at that level was truly inspiring with so many great doctors, physios, biokineticists, fitness trainers, conditioners, analysts, coaches and players. I have benefitted from the knowledge and wisdom of so many people, and been part of incredible highs on the sporting field, as well as the inevitable lows that come with injuries, sore bodies and bruised egos. 

The experience of being present and hands-on, literally and figuratively, gives me a different insight and perspective on what it takes to really be the best at what you do - what steps an athlete needs to take every single day, before, during and after every training session, game and competition, to keep their bodies maintained and ready to perform at the highest level.

What’s your current challenge?

Thanks to a partnership between Wintergreen™ and USA Rugby, I have been brought in to work with the Eagles men’s 15 national rugby squad as part of their medical team.  It’s an exciting time for rugby in the US, with the Eagles continuing to grow as a team, and growing the game of rugby in the US.

Wintergreen™ has been in your kit bag throughout your career – what made it your preferred brand choice?

Yes, just ask any of the hundreds of rugby players who have crossed my massage table over the last twenty one years, and they will tell you that if you’re looking for me, just follow the smell of Wintergreen™!

It’s always been important to me to use the best, most effective and most natural products that I know I can trust to get the job done.  Wintergreen™ was developed by a rugby player, for rugby players, so it was an obvious choice.

Thanks Daliah, good luck and we look forward to chatting again soon!