Category: Back to Life

The lights of Times Square are no longer dimmed— Broadway is back! After a year-and-a-half long shutdown that saw the closing of New York City’s famed Theatre District, the Spear team celebrated the return of Broadway, arts, and culture to the city, serendipitously coinciding with the grand opening launch of our Times Square – Center for Performing Arts clinic, with a grand night of emotional stories, celebratory hugs, epic performances, exciting productions, and of course, much love.

Situated right in the heart of Broadway, our Times Square clinic was born from a desire to provide a special space specifically for dancers and performers, an innovative idea brought forth by the location’s Clinical Director, Ninia Agustin, PT, DPT, during her very beginnings at Spear.

Growing up performing and competing as a dancer, Ninia has held a long-time love for the art of movement, evolving into a passion for helping performing artists rehabilitate and treat their bodies. Ninia was clear on her vision: bridging the world of dance with the science of physical therapy, her two passions, to create a space that catered to the physical needs of performers. Today, that dream is alive and well.

Spear’s Times Square clinic is a location created with the performer in mind. Our clinic works hand-in-hand with other like-minded organizations such as Mt. Sinai’s Samuel J. Friedman Health Center, a medical care provider that is focused on the particular healthcare needs of the entertainment and performing arts community, and The Actors Fund, a national human services organization created to meet the needs of our entertainment community. Together, we’ve formed an amazing support group for artists.

When the pandemic closed the city, Broadway, and our Times Square clinic down in March of 2020, just weeks after our opening, it was an unexpected and difficult time for everyone. This clinic was thoughtfully planned to serve as the premier location for performing artists and creatives to receive the therapy treatment they need. The vision suddenly seemed shaky, and the team struggled to find their footing.

Last month, with Broadway re-opening, we were given an opportunity to celebrate our team and their dedication to the artists who were finally getting back on stage. To commemorate such a momentous return, we created a truly magical night to honor the return of the culture, love, excitement, and emotion that art awakens for us all. We gathered together to celebrate in style with live performances, most notably from Scott Sussman, Spear patient, former Broadway actor, and Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in Singing Voice Rehabilitation. He wowed us by performing “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story and “Help is On the Way” by David Friedman, a beautiful track about maintaining faith through hard times, much like what we experienced right here in the city.

The return of Broadway marks a massive win for the performing arts community as a whole.

Over the last few weeks, our incredible Spear team members, with the addition of some special guests, joined together in creating our mini-documentary above. Serving much emotion and heart, it is our love letter to the city, an homage to the arts, culture, and performing arts of the city we adore so much.

The evening was a celebration, as well as a moment to reflect on the journey we’ve walked together. CEO and Co-founder Dan Rootenberg shared his deep appreciation for the dedication the team has. “Everybody is passionate about the arts, and that’s what it’s about,” Dan shared. “If you love what you’re doing and are passionate about what you’re doing, you know it’s sure to work.”

Ninia also acknowledged the trials, tribulations, and triumphs the team faced together. Thanking her teammates by name, she graciously recognized the efforts of every single Spear member, from the Front Desk Care Coordinators to the Therapy Technicians and Physical Therapists, for turning a vision into reality. “Five years ago, I said I wanted to build a niche practice working with dancers,” Ninia shared. “This is my background, this is my passion, and I would love to do it—and here we are.” Today, the clinic sees all kinds of performers, from Broadway actors, to dancers, to musicians. The Times Square team, who are all performers, artists, musicians, and dancers themselves, are a group of truly passionate members dedicated to what they do. The closeness to the craft really allows them to connect more with our performing patients, creating a truly special bond.

With large red scissors in hand, Ninia stood with the rest of the team, standing tall in support, as they cut the ribbon to mark the “grand opening” of the clinic. The joy and elation in the room was electric. As Dan said: “the lights are back on Broadway, and it’s very special.” We cannot wait to continue living our vision, and keep New Yorkers moving.

Summer is heating up: the world has got its eyes on the 2020 Olympic games starting this month. Our very own CEO and Co-founder, Dan Rootenberg, jetted off to Japan to continue his work with the Israel national baseball team as their official physical therapist!

Team Israel is up against some of the biggest players in the world, with a need to be physically ready to perform at optimal levels for the international sporting event. Holding a true passion for baseball, Dan is excited to be able to help rehab and guide the all-star players. “It’s just about putting these professional athletes in the best position to be successful,” he says of the importance of his role.

Dan has been involved with the team since 2012, during the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. He also offered his attention and rehabilitation skills at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in Seoul, South Korea, helping the players by providing strength and conditioning and physical therapy guidance. “I played in the Israel baseball league, a pro league in Israel in 2007. My first son, Jack, was just born. I went out there and the relationships that I established there, that’s where a lot of this really came from. It started there during that league,”  Dan recalls of his time. “The manager of the team, Eric Holtz, was a good friend of mine. Nate Fish [Third Base Coach] was another guy—we all played together. Shlomo [Lipetz], who’s a pitcher here, was a teammate of mine; Peter Kurz, who’s the general manager— his son was a teammate of mine. There’s a lot of personal connections here, and it’s amazing to see how much the sport of baseball has grown.”

Growing up playing baseball, Dan has maintained an elevated level of excitement, passion, and fervor for the sport. The love of the game has translated into more than just playing—he has also participated on the board of two little leagues and donates his time coaching and guiding inner-city children, coaching more than 200 kids in the past decade alone! He has collaborated with Pitch In For Baseball (PIFB), pledging a sizeable donation to the organization to purchase baseball and softball gear for underprivileged youth players.

SPEAR is always passionate about giving back to our community. Our teammates have amazing empathy, one of our core values, and are often looking for ways to contribute their knowledge where it is needed most. Our team is heavily involved with the youth community, particularly working with local little league baseball teams to offer free screenings to the youth players to ensure a smooth (and fun!) season. Partnering with local youth athletes is just one way we like to give back to the community. We even had our own teammates participate in the exhibition games: Tom Barcia, PT, DPT, ATC, and Clinical Director of our Midtown- W 44^th St clinic, joined Dan during the team’s exhibition games to get them properly warmed up and ready for some practice games.

SPEAR has been involved in the treatment of Team Israel players in the past as well. “We’ve treated a number of players in our SPEAR facilities; different physical therapists on the team have worked with a lot of these guys,” Dan recalls. “It’s nice to have that continuity because then they come here, I can talk to the therapist that treated them and then have a continuous program for them…it’s helpful to be able to take whatever they’ve been doing in the clinics, pair it with what they have to do on the field and then help them here…really it’s just about putting these professional athletes in the best position to be successful.”

Team Israel is up against some big contenders this summer: the United States, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea. Currently ranked 24^th in the world and 7^th in Europe, the team is the competition’s endearing underdogs. The full roster consists of 12 pitchers, 3 catchers, 6 infielders, and 3 outfielders. The world’s got their eye on second baseman Ian Kinsler, former MLB all-star, who played for 14 seasons for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres. The Summer Olympics are bound to be a hot one! Team Israel’s first match kicks off next Thursday, July 29^th, against South Korea.

“Nobody expected us to be in the Olympics,” Dan says. “The fact that we’re there is pretty incredible in and of itself, and we’ve got a lot of a lot of high hopes about coming back with a medal.”

We are so proud and honored to have Dan there representing the field of physical therapy and its vital importance in the competition and the overall health and safety of the athletes.

Here’s a teaser of some awesome content we got on the pipeline, sure to be a home run:

All smiles: SPEAR teammates are full of joy and SPEAR-IT!

SPEAR is known for top-notch physical and occupational therapy treatment, but we’re also known for another value we’re very proud of: our culture. Lovingly referred to as our “SPEAR-IT,” this whimsical embodiment of our combined passion, energy, dedication, and unity is at the forefront of everything we do. That’s why we celebrate our people every summer at our ‘Picnic in the Park’ event. This year we had some fun, endearingly naming our company retreat “SPEARFEST,” and appropriately so, for it was a day filled with palpable comradery and love amongst all of our teammates!

An annual event, last Friday’s companywide event differed from our picnics of the past. It was not just a fun day in the sun, nor just a day to host some friendly competitions. SPEARFEST this year marked our first collective gathering companywide—with the necessary cancellation of the event the year prior, and not having been together for over 19 months, this event was an opportunity to be together once again. 350 of our teammates gathered to celebrate just that: our collective synergy and the chance to be united again, despite the challenges we’ve all faced this past difficult year.

Together again, we celebrated our synergy, collective teamwork, and the opportunity to be a little closer to a state of normal. The event was created with our people in mind: a day to relax, kick back, and enjoy each other’s company.

Leading up to the event, we held our well-known ‘SPEAR-IT Week’ across our social platforms. Consisting of different themed days, ‘SPEAR-IT Week’ is an opportunity for all of our clinics to build excitement for the big event. With 21 clinics sprinkled across our boroughs and into Westchester, it’s not often we can have all our teammates together under one roof. With the cancellation of our All Hands Meeting (our companywide meeting created to celebrate our clinics’ successes and discussion for continued growth), it was even more essential to build connection and engagement between our clinics and regions.

Human Pyramid by LIC – CityView

Penn Plaza on Twinning Thursday

Of course, we had to up the ante, too, by stirring in some friendly competition: each clinic had the chance to submit photos and videos with our Theme Day challenges to earn points towards the coveted SPEAR-IT Week Champion title! Clinics within each region uplifted one another and helped garner votes from family and friends via social media comments and likes in hopes of having their region crowned winner, to be announced at SPEARFEST! ‘SPEAR-IT Week’ was rockin’, with our teammates creating incredibly synchronized choreographies, building human pyramids, filming insane music videos, and dressing in coordination. The fun could not be contained! (Pssst…if you missed our team’s amazing submissions, check them out on our Instagram and Facebook pages!)

SPEAR-IT Week continued with a city-wide Scavenger Hunt (if you were in Manhattan, you might have encountered one of our own asking you some silly questions or capturing funny moments!), ending right at the start of our SPEARFEST event. Held at The Armory Foundation’s indoor track & field center, the gigantic space was jam-packed with leisurely activities for everyone to enjoy. This event was created to be a fun and enjoyable day, to build comradery amongst our teammates, to celebrate our wins, and to relish in the sheer joy of being together again.

SPEAR Teammates having some Cornhole fun!

Duck and Hide in full effect!

There’s nothing like a professional ‘Simon Says’ Champion to get the crowd excited!

It was also an opportunity to celebrate all the hard work our team has put in throughout the year. All together under one roof, we took the opportunity to hand out some well-deserved awards and prizes. We revealed our leaderboards numbers, which are numerical stats on how our clinicians performed this year, on a huge Jumbotron screen. With award categories ranging from Review Rockstar, to Patient Commitment, and our highly respected SPEAR Impact Award, we wanted to acknowledge our people’s hard work and reward them for their dedication and tenacity, especially through one of the toughest times the city has ever been through. It is important to acknowledge those who go above and beyond for others, for they are true leaders! CEO and Co-founder Dan Rootenberg also presented the Armory Foundation with a $20,000 donation to be used towards the non-profit organization’s mission to serve NYC youth by promoting fitness and education through a broad range of athletic, educational, and community programs.

SPEAR CEO and Co-founder, Dan Rootenberg, presents donation to The Armory Foundation

The rest of the day was just fun and games—literally! With gigantic versions of Jenga and Pac Man, an inflatable wrecking ball, a life-sized Twister board, and even a professional ‘Simon Says’ champion present to administer the game, the stadium was roaring with laughter and good vibes. And that’s what it’s truly all about—providing a fun, synergistic experience for all of our teammates who so deserved a breath of relief from a long year.

Thank you to the entire team for bringing their all to the profession every day, for continuing to put patients first, and for always helping to support one another. Together, we can do it all.

Our Freedom Region, the crowning champions of SPEAR-IT Week, share the coveted trophy prize!

The SPEAR Team!

SPEAR had several amazing accomplishments in 2020 we are proud of. One, in particular, was the expansion of our 70 Pine clinic!

One of two clinics in the Financial District, 70 Pine officially opened on July 3rd, 2017. Our previous space, though renovated and spacious, was located in the basement of the building, making it sometimes difficult to find. We wanted to provide a space that was much more easily accessible for our patients. That’s why we moved—right upstairs!

Our expanded 70 Pine clinic is now located on the first floor, with curbside access right on Pearl St! Located in a historic landmark building, once the tallest structure in downtown Manhattan, it welcomes patients through a beautiful lobby with high ceilings and marble floors. Exposed brick and a modern setting bring a historic ambiance into the present day.

With the onset of such a remarkable expansion, we of course had to celebrate with our traditional ribbon cutting ceremony! The entire 70 Pine team and some of our leaders gathered together to talk about the growth and expansion of the clinic. Clinical Director Joshua Rieders, PT, DPT, CSCS, addressed the team to thank them for all of their hard work and dedication before, throughout, and after the expansion process. CEO and Co-Founder Dan Rootenberg also addressed the group to talk about the exciting new changes. He also asked several team members to talk about their experiences thus far—many members shared anecdotes on the positive experience they’ve had working at 70 Pine, the camaraderie they’ve cultivated, and their shared mission to continue bringing patients back to life.

After several speeches and shared words of encouragement, the group headed outside for our famous ribbon cutting photoshoot! The team shared some laughs, smiles, and hugs as Joshua cut the giant red ribbon, signaling the completion of this awesome triumph. Everyone headed inside afterward for some well-earned cake and sweet treats!

We’re elated by this new growth within one of our amazing clinics. Thank you to the entire team for their continued dedication, making SPEAR the best physical therapy practice around!

You can learn more about our 70 Pine clinic, or request an appointment here!

All smiles: the team celebrates with a ribbon cutting to commemorate the clinic expansion.

2020 was a memorable year for many reasons—even among the adverse occurrences of the world, there is always something positive to observe. One accomplishment we’re really proud of? The expansion of our Upper East Side – E 84th St clinic! Since we didn’t have a chance to celebrate the awesome upgrades we made to the space last year, we decided to celebrate now!

Last week, we hosted our official ribbon cutting ceremony for E 84th St. The team gathered together to officially celebrate the expansion and additions made to the newly improved space. Clinical Director Joe Losurdo, PT, DPT, addressed the entire team to thank them for their hard work and dedication throughout these trying times. CEO and Co-founder Dan Rootenberg also expressed some words of gratitude for the team’s commitment in helping continue providing care for our patients when they needed it most. The past year has not been easy for anyone—each person’s dedication to the team as a whole proved to be worthwhile and necessary. Now, as New York returns back to a state of normal, the clinic is flourishing and able to continue providing the top-notch care we’re known for.

Clinical Director Joe Losurdo, PT, DPT, talks to team about their past, present, and future growth.

Though the location isn’t brand new, the enhancements certainly are! The extra space, equipment, and added amenities provide better resources for our therapists to treat more patients than ever before. An expanded gym and floor space allows for more room, meaning more availability for patients to receive the treatment they need. One of the coolest additions has been the newly improved Occupational/Hand Therapy station, a dedicated area for all occupational therapy needs. The locker room/changing area also received a nice revamp, allowing for more space for our patients.

Cheers are in order: Hip, hip, hooray!

After some speeches, words of gratitude and discussions for the future, the team headed outside for the ribbon cutting, where the group posed for pictures with the notorious red ribbon and giant pair of scissors! Joe did the honor of making the ceremonial cut, a stamp in time of the amazing accomplishment made possible by the contribution of everyone present. Congratulations to the whole team on this amazing feat!

You can learn more about our E 84th St clinic, or request an appointment here!