BEING invited to work with the Scottish Junior Women’s Basketball squad and accompany them at this summer’s European Championships in Romania is a dream come true for West Lothian health and fitness entrepreneur, Michael Smith.
Michael (25), founder of ‘Personal Best: Health, Fitness & Wellbeing’, will fly with the team to Romania on the 27th August and will provide massage therapy and first aid expertise in the training sessions and games in the run up, and during the championships.
Michael always knew he wanted to pursue a sports career.
While studying for a BSc Hons in Sports & Exercise Science from Stirling University, Michael – who lives in Bathgate – worked part-time as a gym instructor, football / athletics coach and lifeguard.
When he graduated in 2006, he started working for West Lothian Leisure as a gym instructor while completing an American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) Health & Fitness Specialist qualification.
Says a spokesperson: “He set up his personal training and massage therapy business in 2008 thanks to funding from the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) which helps 18-25 year olds set up and continue in business.
“The loan helped Michael launch his website and market his services on a part-time basis while he studied for a sports massage diploma, adding yet another important dimension to his growing Personal Best portfolio.
His commitment and dedication has paid dividends. Earlier this year he was asked to help prepare the Women’s Scottish rugby squad with their preparation for the Six Nations. In addition to working with professional athletes, he is also attracting some large corporate clients, including West Lothian letting agent, Live and Let Ltd, and Kwik-Fit Insurance call centre in Uddingston, where staff benefit from Michael’s weekly visits.”
Commenting on his goals for the future, he says: “My dream is to work at the London Olympics in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games 2014.
“There is no guarantee that I will get to do that, but if I keep gaining experience with elite athletes then I’m giving myself the best possible chance to get there.
“I’ve got two more years to make it happen and my first International tournament with the basketball squad this summer, will be a major step towards my goals.
“I also want to create a brand for my business and I am recruiting a GP referral qualified trainer and massage therapist/ trainee physio on a part-time basis to help me achieve this.
“With their help and expertise, I hope to establish a GP referral system with specialist training to get better results for people with special care conditions and/or physio needs.”
Congratulating Michael on his achievements, PSYBT regional manager for West Lothian, Malcolm Evans, said: “Michael has invested a lot of time and effort in his business to ensure that his clients benefit from the very best results and I have every confidence that his work in the professional arena will continue to flourish in years to come and we wish him every success.”
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For further information please contact Jen Nash, Panache Communications on 0141 589 0514 / email: jen@panachecommunications.co.uk or Margaret Gibson of PSYBT on 0141 342 5942. You can also check out the PSYBT website at www.psybt.org.uk.
To contact Michael Smith please phone 07546 356748 or email info@personalbestuk.com,You can also check out the Personal Best: Health, Fitness and Wellbeing website at www.personalbestuk.com
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Contact: Jen Nash
Email: jen@panachecommunications.co.uk
Website: http://www.panachecommunications.co.uk
