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.
Matthew Perry, DPT
Physical Therapist
Matt holds a Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from New York Institute of Technology where he graduated as the Valedictorian of his class. He has practiced out-patient Physical Therapy for over six years, with a serious interest in rehabilitating athletes of any age.
Matt also frequently attends seminars to stay current on rehab techniques for athletes. Such seminars include topics on rehabilitation, as well as prevention of shoulder and knee injuries, which are most commonly seen in athletes.
Matt has joined the CATZ Sports Medicine team in November 2009 in the hopes of working in conjunction with CATZ Performance Coaches and staff to rehabilitate and prevent injury in both youth and adult athletes.
In his spare time, Matt enjoys relaxing with his family, watching the Yankees, and listening to music.
Arthur Canestro, MEd, CSCS (Commack/Levittown)
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/Levittown)
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.
Jason Remsbecker (Commack)
Customer Relationship Manager
Jason holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Sport Management from Western New England College (WNEC) in Springfield, Massachusetts. As the Customer Relationship Manager for CATZ in Commack, he is responsible for every aspect of interaction, communications and support for our loyal base of youth, competitive and adult athletes.
Before joining CATZ, Jason gained over 3 years of experience in the sports industry with several NHL organizations – including the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins and most recently, the New Jersey Devils. Jason has always had a passion for hockey; he has been playing for 17 years, including 4 years at the varsity level in college. While at WNEC, Jason worked for the Athletic Department and was a NCAA off-field official and a coach for the Endless Summer Hockey Camp, the Long Island Gulls training camp and Boot Camp Hockey.
Since college, Jason has stayed active in sports by being a referee for the Long Island Amateur Hockey League, as well as the CHA, Empire and Eastern Junior Hockey Leagues. He has also helped out with the Long Island Gulls and Nassau County Lions youth teams. In his free time, Jason continues to play on multiple hockey teams and enjoys golfing on a regular basis.
Thomas O’Toole (Levittown)
Customer Relationship Managager
Tom graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in 2006. He was also a captain and (4) year starter on the Rutgers men’s lacrosse team. As the Customer Relationship Manager for CATZ in Levittown, he is responsible for every aspect of interaction, communications and support for our loyal base of youth, competitive and adult athletes.
While at Rutgers, Tom competed in (2) NCAA tournaments and helped Rutgers earn a ranking as high as 6th in the nation. He was awarded with the Fredrick Fitch Trophy for most improved player, and received ECAC defensive player of the week honors during his sophomore season. Tom also made the Rutgers Dean’s List during his sophomore and junior lacrosse seasons.
Tom continues to remain very active in sports ranging from volleyball to surfing. He has also dedicated time to teaching and coaching elementary and high school lacrosse players around Long Island. Tom worked for 2 ½ years in the medical industry after graduating, but he was driven back to his true passion for fitness and athletics, and is extremely happy and proud to be a part of the CATZ family full-time!
Brenda Hager, CPT (Levittown)
General Manager & Adult Fitness Director
Brenda holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Rider University, and was a four year starter for both the Field Hockey and Softball teams. During her stay as a catcher and captain, she led the softball team to three conference championships and was also named Athlete of the Year.
Prior to attending Rider, Brenda earned 12 letters in three high school sports, was an All American, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at her school. She also made her way through four of the five Olympic progressive camps in Field Hockey. After graduating from Rider, Brenda won her first Natural Bodybuilding contest in her weight class, as well as the overall title.
Prior to joining CATZ, Brenda has had many years experience as a Coach in softball, basketball, field hockey and flag football with athletes of varying ages. As a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, she has also worked very closely with adults that have diverse backgrounds and conditioning in order to help them achieve their fitness goals.
Wanting to give back to one of her favorite sports, Brenda is currently a Field Hockey Official and is the Vice President of the Nassau County Field Hockey Officials Association.
In her spare time, Brenda likes to take on small construction projects around the house and spends lots of time with her dog.
Brian Kolonoski, CPT (Commack/Levittown)
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.
Kaila Sciascia (Levittown)
Performance Coach
Kaila Sciascia, a graduate of the University of Maryland, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family Science, along with a Minor in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports and Commerce Culture.
Kaila played for Stony Brook Soccer Club for the majority of her career prior to college. She made the U-17 National Soccer Team in her junior year of high school, being one of only two players on the team from New York. She also won a National Championship with her Super Y-League team in the summer of 2004, leading the team in goals-scored.
As a four-year starter for the University of Maryland’s Division 1 soccer program, she was a top competitor in the ACC as a Forward, and was also the leading scorer for Maryland during her junior and senior years. Kaila was very proud to have also been awarded as an ACC Scholar-Athlete during her tenure at Maryland.
Kaila has extensive experience training soccer players both in New York and Maryland. She has worked with athletes from ages 8 to 18 in various soccer camps, teaching them ball skills, teamwork, formation and different techniques to use on the field. She also led the team-building and conditioning training for a variety of youth soccer programs and camps in Maryland.
In her spare time, Kaila enjoys spending time with her family and friends, as well as going to the movies and shopping whenever she can.
Steve Seftel, C.S.C.S.
Performance Director
Steve Seftel, a resident of Wantagh, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Hofstra University. A 2007 graduate, he is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Steve played ice hockey throughout high school, a sport which he still participates in competitively to this day. He has also spent time competing in the sport of Power Lifting, and looks forward to pursuing competitions in the near future.
Steve has a broad exercise background, having worked with athletes of all ages, including elementary school, high school, D-I collegiate and numerous professional athletes. He has also worked in the physical therapy setting, aiding in the rehabilitation of a variety of athletic injuries.
In 2007, Steve spent several months with the New York Jets as a strength and conditioning intern. While there, he worked hand-in-hand with head strength coach Sal Alsoi in the implementation of the organization’s offseason strength and conditioning program.
In his spare time Steve enjoys playing ice hockey with his brother, as well as spending time with his family and friends.