Dedicated to sports injury prevention and treatment

As the standards of League and Rugby improve and players become subject to more intense activity on field in terms of tackling, running and scrummaging, fitness and physical conditioning become vital necessities if serious injury is to be avoided.
Top players also need to be aware of the need to ensure fitness levels and body conditioning will meet and withstand rigorous training requirements and demands.
Janice Cook who runs the “Are Meitaki Natural Therapy Clinic” has been helping senior sports people prepare for training and assisting with their conditioning and injuries during the sporting season. More recently her focus has been on Rugby and League and especially for the Arorangi Bears and Cowboys senior teams.
Her aim is to improve men’s physical health, mental focus and sportsmanship.
Cook is the only person providing such a sports fitness service.
Cook arrived in Rarotonga in 2001. She had her own practice for 16 years in Cornwall and London England. She is a trained nurse with a sound knowledge of medical and anatomical knowledge. She qualified in remedial massage in 1982.
Cook has worked with British football (soccer) teams and has provided treatment for CI National Rugby Union and League squads as well as the referees and Golden Oldies.
Player’s safety, long term future health, health care and education are her priority.
Cook says it is important for team coaches to put their players through a pre-training assessment to pick up any injuries before actual training starts. She calls it a return to training assessment and applies two recognized systems called “League Smart” and “Rugby Ready.”
Cook attends training sessions and games to provide first aid. She is also a qualified Red Cross first aid instructor.
During the season Cook maintains statistics on injuries to players and picks up trends. During the last football season she recorded 10-12 injuries per week to players.
In her latest newsletter Cook said players pay half her normal fee of $25 for treatment. The remainder and the fee she would have charged for attending training and games she donates back to the club as sponsorship in work. Last year this was worth over $6,000 to both Arorangi teams.
Interestingly Cook admits to having no actual interest in sport.

By Charles Pitt

Herald Issue 463 10 June
- World famous activist assisting residents
- Budget will decide if residents prosecute Government over landfill
- Forestry project sucking Mangaia dry
- Budget 2010 – fiasco or disaster?