ABOUT ME - Damian Parker
Helping you Embrace The Outdoors through movement
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I love sport. Plain and simple.
​I thought I had no athletic ability whatsoever being a fairly geeky, glasses wearing, Scout loving child but like everyone does at some point, I seemed to grow into myself.
What followed is a patchwork of trying as much sport as I could: rugby, squash, cross country, lacrosse, rugby, netball, crossfit, Triathlon (ever seen a tired dog swimming- picture me during a sprint tri), climbing, basketball. With that came exposure to a lot of coaches and coaching styles.
After completing my Bsc Sports Science running crept in and the freedom, the speed, the burning legs and the independence of carrying myself from point A to B was exhilarating. Especially when there were big hills or mountains involved. Running became where it was at for me.
The company I worked for in 2013, Wiggle, were offering free spaces at Brighton Marathon that year so I signed up thinking it would be a doddle. I was wrong, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. but it captivated me- how could I get better? What did better mean for me? ​
I’ve run up and down Snowdon quaffing jelly babies like they were going out of fashion just happy to have finished. I like to race, but exploring and sharing running with like-minded people is far more appealing.
It's the love of moving from point A to B under my own steam and being outdoors as often as I can that led me to create Embrace The Outdoors and become a UK Athletics qualified Coach in Running Fitness alongside my existing Bsc in Sports Science.
Recently I've accomplished some big personal milestones:
1st at Tough Runner Cotswold 10km*
Ran the Welsh 3000's May 2023
1st at the Cotswold 24hr Trail Race
2nd at Tenacious Ten Hour Hill Climb
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My mission for ETO is threefold:
- Help people enjoy their running and achieve their goals through structured coaching.
- Introduce people to some of the best trail running amongst quintessentially British countryside here in the Cotswolds.
- Foster an appreciation of "the outdoors" and the benefits it can have on our physical and mental health.
All through Faff.Free.Running
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*When the 8 runners in front of me went the wrong way all I needed to do was keep running. Still got a PB mind!
ABOUT ME - Danielle Parker
I graduated from the University of Chichester with a first-class honour’s degree in Sports Therapy in 2009, with full membership to the Society of Sports Therapists. I was then, and am still am, an enthusiastic Musculoskeletal therapist. Here is my journey since graduating and how I’ve come to start ETO Sports Therapy.
After starting off in a well-known Physiotherapy clinic in Portsmouth, I established my own Sports Injury clinic in Chichester, supporting a range of clients through their injury to achieve their goals. Alongside leading the medical provision for an independent school, working closely with the U18 rugby team and Head of Rugby; supporting the conditioning of players and rehabilitation of long term injuries through 3 seasons.
I then got itchy feet and returned to University to develop my understanding of how the body moves and copes with forces through my MSc in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics. Through this journey I got exposed to lecturing and discovered that the joy of supporting students through their learning, was similar to supporting clients through their rehabilitation. Since 2014 I have been lecturing on the Sports Therapy programs at the University of Gloucestershire; developing and leading the postgraduate course. I am now back and eager to develop my clinical offering with ETO alongside my academic work at the University.
My mission for ETO Sports Therapy is threefold:
- Help people to understand pain and injury, providing belief in their ability to overcome challenges.
- Create a supportive and honest environment to help people achieve their goals through individualised rehabilitation and treatment plans.
- Foster an appreciation of the benefits movement and sports therapy can have on our physical and mental health.
All through evidence informed and client centred Sports Therapy practice
