New Sports Performance Institute Celebrates Grand Opening

City officials, doctors and athletes, young and old, came together Wednesday for the grand opening of the San Ramon Regional Medical Center's newest addition—the Sports Performance Institute.

The main purpose of the institute is to provide sports conditioning and injury prevention for athletes of all ages, said Dina Olson, the Director of Therapy Services and Occupational Medicine.

Former NBA star Chris Mullen, Mayor H. Abram Wilson, and orthopaedic specialist Dr. Charles Preston all spoke at the grand opening, which culminated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

All three speakers touched on the importance of physical fitness, especially for youth, and also stressed injury prevention and treatment, a topic emphasized by San Ramon Regional CEO Gary Sloan.

"There are so many kids in need of education in how to properly take care of their bodies when exercising," said Sloan. "We would prefer to not  see them in the hospital if possible."

According to Olson, there are already over 200 youth in the sports center's program, all of whom receive individualized workouts from one of the four trainers on staff.

"Often times (athletes) are so focused on training hard, that they're missing the imbalances that can happen," said Jena McGuffie, a trainer at the institute. "We balance out both their muscle imbalances and their structural imbalances."

Jessica Lazarus, a competitive swimmer and a Cal High senior, took part in the sports program for the last four weeks to build up strength and power. But Lazarus was most impressed by the programs focus on safety and injury prevention.

"I think the most valuable thing is that the trainers and all the staff are making sure you don't get hurt," she said.

Cal High principal Mark Corti also attended the grand opening, mentioning a recent agreement made between the the sports institute and Cal High.

"We've developed a partnership with the SPI and now, some of the trainers will be working with our student athletes as strength and conditioning coaches," he said.

According to Corti, the trainers will be leading workouts for many of Cal High's athletic teams in the school's weight room from 1:30 to 5 every afternoon.

Though the institute focuses on youth, Sloan said the program is also moving towards incorporating adults, specifically the weekend warriors who do not regularly participate in athletic events.

• For more information on SPI, click here.