William J. Germano, DC, CSCS
Managing Partner / Performance Director
Dr. Germano holds a Bachelor's Degree with emphasis in Biology and Psychology from Stony Brook University where he was a four year starter and captain of the Men's Baseball team, earning MVP and All-Conference honors. He was also a National Scholar Athlete Award winner. Dr. Germano graduated from New York Chiropractic College and has been in private practice since 1992. He has been on the medical staff of the Long Island Ducks professional baseball team for the past six years as their official Team Chiropractor. For the past 15 years Dr. Germano has treated many athletes, both professional and amateur in a wide variety of sports, including two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzales and former Major League All-Star Henry Rodriguez.
Dr. Germano is a member of the New York State Chiropractic Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and an ISSA Certified Fitness Instructor.
Chuck Downey, CSCS
Community Relations Director
Chuck holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and is in the process of completing his Master's Degree in Health Education, both from Stony Brook University. During his years playing football for Stony Brook University, Chuck earned the Team MVP Award twice, was voted Student Athlete of the Year, and was honored as an All American for three consecutive years. In addition, Chuck earned ECAC Player of the Year honors, and in 1988, he signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Chuck still holds 15 NCAA records and 36 Stony Brook records in football. In 1996, Chuck was inducted into the Stony Brook University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Prior to becoming a Battalion Chief in the New York City Fire Department, Chuck spent two years as a Manager and Personal Trainer at New York Sports Club in New York City and on Long Island. Chuck has also coached many sports from youth to the collegiate level, and is extremely active in Commack Youth Soccer where he serves as a Division Coordinator. Chuck is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and is also a Certified Fitness Instructor through the International Sports Science Association. Chuck also sits on the Captain Board for the Athletic Director’s Advisory Council at the University of Stony Brook.
Scott Irwin, PT
Clinical Director
Pegasus Physical Therapy, P.C.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Rehabilitation from Springfield College and a Certificate in Physical Therapy from Hunter College. While at Springfield, he was a four-year member of the gymnastics team and served as a co-captain. He was also awarded the distinction of Junior Athlete of the Year as well as a three-time All American.
As Clinical Director of Pegasus Physical Therapy at CATZ, Scott has over 17 years of clinical experience evaluating and treating patients and is dedicated to helping patients advance from injury, pain and dysfunction to fully restored, pain-free activity in the shortest possible time. The practice delivers world-class orthopedic rehabilitation and injury prevention to people of all ages and walks of life.
Prior to creating Pegasus Physical Therapy, Scott held the position of Senior Physical Therapist at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. In this role, Scott managed the hospital’s physical therapy outpatient department treating hundreds of patients on a yearly basis. Scott has also treated athletes of all ages and levels from amateur to professional. While at St. Luke’s, he earned the President’s Award for Excellence in patient care.
Arthur Canestro, MEd, CSCS (Commack)
Head Coach, Athlete Training
Art Canestro holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY, and a Master’s degree in Education from Adelphi University. Art is a Physical Education teacher and continually develops new exercise programs for his school district. He has interjected new exercise science concepts, weight management strategies and the newest, most appropriate exercises in his curriculum. Prior to joining CATZ, he has 12 years of combined experience as a teacher and Certified Personal Trainer.
While attending New York Institute of Technology, Art played baseball and was a stand-out pitcher for his school. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and played professional baseball for 5 years. During his second year in professional baseball, Art led his league in Earned Run Average (ERA). During his career in baseball, Art has played on the same team with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, J.T. Snow, Brad Ausmus, Bernie Williams, Jim Leyritz and Shane Spencer. He has also pitched against Ken Griffey, Jr., Moises Alou, Craig Biggio, Ryan Klesko, Jim Thome, Jason Varitek, Cliff Floyd, Mike Lieberthal, Jeff Kent, Brett Boone and Kenny Lofton. Art also played in the first professional baseball game ever held by the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Art is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and is also a Certified Fitness Instructor through the International Sports Science Association.
Eric Albala, CPT, OAT (Commack)
Head Coach, Adult Training
Eric Albala, a resident of Commack, is a Certified Personal Trainer who has been in the fitness and sports performance industry for 7 years. He earned his first certification from East Coast Instructional Training School where he was certified as a Fitness Trainer. Eric then went on to be certified through AFAA as a Personal Trainer, and then through AIFE as a Certified Older Adult Trainer.
Eric’s in-depth experience includes working with his adult clients to help coordinate and set up proper strength, conditioning and cardiovascular routines to meet their personal fitness goals. Eric has not only trained adults of all fitness levels, but has also managed numerous personal training facilities as well. He was responsible for supervising the design and implementation of all client training programs, the management of 14 personal trainers, as well as assisting over 200 clients achieve their goals on a monthly basis. In addition, Eric also spent a considerable amount of time providing strength training to athletes of all ages and sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer and football. He also focused his time on helping clients with high risk factors such as Diabetes, Arthritis and Cancer, as well as providing a variety of post-rehabilitation training services.
Kristin Godfrey (Commack)
Performance Coach
Kristin attended Long Island University at C.W. Post, where she obtained her Bachelors Degree in June of 2007. She received her personal training certification in 2005 and worked as a strength and conditioning trainer at C.W. Post. Kristin also worked closely with the university’s lacrosse, field hockey, and softball teams, specifically helping them focus on speed, conditioning, and overall strength training. Kristin is currently studying for her C.S.C.S. certification through the NSCA, and will be taking this test in mid-2008.
While at C.W. Post, Kristin played four years of women's lacrosse and was captain of their 2007 National Championship Team. Kristin played defense and lead her team in caused turnovers for two seasons. Kristin was a two-time All-Conference Player and a pre-season All American. She was also a member of the C.W. Post women's Basketball and Cross Country teams.
Kristin had the opportunity to participate in a lacrosse tournament in Australia for Team USA, and played against the top teams from both Japan and Australia. She was also recently hand-chosen to be a member of the Irish National Women’s Lacrosse Team in 2008.
Michelle Blum (Commack)
Nutrition Counselor, CATZ of Long Island
Michelle Blum has worked for many years as a nutritional counselor helping people lose weight and improve their relationship with food. She has had the opportunity to work with healthy individuals as well as people suffering from various diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and eating disorders.
Michelle has worked in smaller personal training studios all the way up to large corporate gyms. She has counseled families, adults, children, and athletes, catering to their individual nutritional needs and lifestyle requirements. Michelle is currently completing her degree in the Honors College of exercise physiology and nutrition at Hofstra University, and plans to pursue her masters degree as well. She has worked in conjunction with Hofstra’s exercise physiology department assisting in various sports nutrition studies, some of which are internationally published.
Michelle enjoys dancing in her spare time and has 16 years of experience in jazz, ballet and modern dance. She also has had the pleasure of teaching and choreographing in her home state of New Jersey. Michelle is very passionate about the field of nutrition and fitness and is very excited to have the opportunity to pass that along to the members here at CATZ.
Brian Kolonoski, CPT (Commack)
Co-GM & Performance Coach
Brian has been involved in the field of sport-specific performance training for 5 years and has worked with athletes from all backgrounds and experience levels, ranging from amateur to professional. He obtained a bachelors degree in Exercise Science & Fitness Development from SUNY Cortland, and gained two years of experience teaching Physical Education in the Cortland County area. He is currently pursuing his C.S.C.S. certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Brian is a Long Island native, growing up in Holbrook where he attended Sachem High School. During high school he was a 2- time team captain and member of the Varsity Track & Field team where he competed and excelled in the 200m and 400m dash. During his senior year, Brian was a member of the 4x400m relay team that qualified for New York State Championships.
The sport that Brian is most passionate about is ice hockey. He started playing the sport at the age of 8, and since this time he strived to reach his goal of playing at the collegiate level. After high school however, Brian was forced to retire from competitive ice hockey due to a head injury, however he is still active in the sport through coaching and playing in recreational leagues.