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Today marks three years since we lost our dear friend, Jimmy Olayos. From the day he started at Spear, he distinguished himself as a leader. A combination of thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and ambition made Jimmy well respected by anyone who knew him.

Jimmy was a member of the Spear Future Leaders Program and a Spear Regional Director at just 31 years old. A rising star in his community as well, Jimmy worked nights and weekends teaching injury prevention to young athletes. He also teamed up with then Brooklyn Borough President (now Mayor of New York City) Eric Adams to help fight the opioid crisis in his community.

Linked below is an article that Jimmy finished the week of his passing. It perfectly encapsulates his love for others and the thought and care he put into his practice.

You can read Jimmy’s article here.

The Jimmy Olayos Leadership Award

In honor of Jimmy’s life and legacy, The Jimmy Olayos Leadership Award was born. This achievement is awarded to individuals who not only lead, but coach, elevate, and inspire the people around them to believe in themselves.

The Jimmy Olayos Leadership Award is earned by a person who makes a lasting positive impact on the people around them. When thinking of this person, ask these questions:

• Are they fully invested in the development of the people around them?
• Do they always put the well-being of their team before their own?
• Do they uplift their team members?
• Have they made the road better for the people following them?

Below are the winners of The Jimmy Olayos Leadership Award:

1. Lisa Yirce (2020)
2. Lauren Carleton (2021)
3. Patrick Watson (2022)

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!

The dream team, ready to help out local youth baseball team, The Brooklyn Bonnies!

Serving the community has always been fundamental to SPEAR’s values. We always strive to find ways to give back to our community and use our expertise, knowledge, time and resources to help out where we can.

This past weekend, our SPEAR teammates did just that by volunteering their time toward a free screening for the Brooklyn Bonnies, a team of youth Baseball athletes from the Bonnie Youth Club! Our skilled Physical Therapists spent dedicated time with each player, giving real-time advice on how to improve their athleticism and avoid injury.

SPEAR PTs Jeffrey Smith, PT, DPT and Chris Churchill, PT, DPT, CSCS lead a group of Brooklyn Bonnie athletes through an exercise.

The athletes visited several stations set up by our SPEAR teammates, who took time assessing their individual different needs. Our team covered many important aspects for these athletes, including mobility, balance, lower extremity range of motion, core stability, and postural control, as well as checking for any shoulder/elbow injuries. Each athlete received personal attention to ensure proper advice was administered, and to make sure they also got the most out of this screening, giving them the opportunity to ask questions about their specific athletic goals and issues to get the most out of their sport.

SPEAR is excited to partner with an organization as uplifting and encouraging as the Bonnie Youth Club. Founded in 1949, the organization uses baseball as a vehicle to capture young people’s interest, and then guides them in their academic endeavors. Most participants are from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds—the organization uses baseball as a means of communicating to those who might not otherwise be engaged.

Derek Lee, PT, DPT, assesses a baseball athlete’s shoulder.

The screening was a total hit out of the park—it was great weather in a great location, taking place at Parade Ground Prospect Park in Brooklyn, a beautifully restored 40-acre field with its own dedicated baseball field. Not only did the young athletes receive one-on-one aid, they also left with some cool SPEAR gear, including t-shirts!

The event was a great success! Thank you to our dedicated group of physical therapists for volunteering their time for this stellar baseball team. We love helping youth athletes excel at what they do by providing guidance on how to keep healthy and injury-free.

To learn more about the Bonnie Youth Club, visit their website at www.bonnieyouth.org!

With everyone stationed at home during these times, at-home workouts have seen a huge boom. While staying active is essential, maintaining a proper level of safety is just as important! Ninia Agustin, PT, DPT, and Clinical Director of our Times Square location, recently contributed to The Wall Street Journal, providing her expert advice on how to exercise at home safely.

Check out all of Ninia’s expert advice below:

General At-Home Workout Tips

• Hit pause when you need to—go at your own pace!
•  Work out in front of a full length-mirror to monitor alignment
• If you live with someone, ask them to police your technique
• Wear supportive shoes, especially if you are new to exercise and doing any type of jumping activity that can strain the ankles
• Clear your space of any clutter for safety
• Consult with your doctor before doing any workout routines!

Push Ups:

• Beginners can start by performing push-ups against a wall, then progress to a table edge
• Start in a plank position, with hands shoulder-width apart
•  Have a bit of a chin tuck to maintain neutral cervical alignment
• Form a straight line with your body from the base of the neck to the tailbone
• Keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle to your body as you bend them and lower toward the ground
• Keep the core engaged to prevent hips from sinking, and lower back strain
• If you feel pain in your wrists, drop to your knees or shins; use padding if needed!

For Stationary Lunges:

• Starting position: feet hip-width apart, hands on hips, and step your right foot forward
• Keeping your spine tall and the weight in your heel, lower your body until both your front and back legs form 90-degree angles
• Your front knee should be directly over your ankle and your back knee can tap or hover above the ground.
• Rise up and repeat.
• If you feel wobbly, you can lightly hold on to a chair or even put a hand to the wall to help with balance

For Forward Lunges:

Once you have mastered the stationary lunge you can move up to a forward lunge:

• Step forward, lower and, as you rise, bring your front foot back to starting position
• If your shoulders tip forward, your back muscles have to work harder to maintain the position— think about keeping your bones stacked over each other
• Don’t let your front knee collapse inward—keep it over your second or third toe
• Pelvis should stay in the same plane: make fists and put them on your hip bones to help you feel if your hip hikes up as you step back to the starting position

Read the full article on WSJ here!

Check out our blog and our Youtube channel for more tips, advice, and exercises!