Carli Lloyd nails the penalty kick!

It’s a joy thing to watch people at the top of their craft. And that’s just what the experience of Tuesday’s Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match between the USA and Germany delivered. The USA squad played the best they had all tournament and made it nearly impossible for the (usually) excellent German players to gather momentum. The Americans first goal came from some luck (a foul that drew a penalty instead of direct kick) and focus (Carli Lloyd’s excellent execution).

Kelley O’Hara’s super-skill to get a foot on that ball (before the defender) and place it in the net!

On the other hand, their second goal … well, their second goal was pure beauty – a sequence of passes from Megan Rapinoe on the side that was dropped back to Tobin Heath who sent it direct to Carli Lloyd, with her perfect set-up, to Kelley O’Hara’s brilliant completion (watch it here).

The play exemplified skill, patience, practice, awareness, and teamwork – that is what soccer is all about.

And that is exactly what we have going for us at Focus Bodywork with the addition of Brenna Gardner, LMT, to our team! With our own stroke of luck, we’ve nabbed Brenna from one of the high-end spas in Park City. With her nearly 15 years of experience and extensive additional training, Brenna has a host of skills that complements the injury and training needs that face our clients. Just when I was looking for a way to make sure our clients get seen in a timely fashion, Brenna was looking for a venue where she could build on-going relationships with folks navigating the pre- and post-surgery world of injuries. Score!

I’ve known Brenna for almost three years (we both worked at Prana Yoga) – she has been one of my go-to people when my body starts complaining. I’d often wished I could send on clients needing her special skill but, for most of us, the fancy spa setting is out of our reach. But now, wish granted! She is ready to pick-up some orthopedic assessment and treatment techniques and Shannon and I are lucky to learn more from her about manual lymphatic drainage (in which Brenna is a certified therapist), muscle attachment therapy, and hydrotherapy (to name a few!).

As the US women re-group for Sunday’s final match (with whomever wins today’s line-up between Japan and England), please join me in welcoming Brenna. Over the next few months, she will be building up her hours at Focus Bodywork, starting now with Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. You can book with her online or give us a call at 801-359-5149.

– Margaret Madsen