Steve Zarriello
B.S., CSCS, TPI Certified
Owner
Steve Zarriello has been coaching in the Strength and Conditioning industry for almost 15 years. He began his career in the Strength and Conditioning field while still attending college at the University of Rhode Island. His interest in the field began as a hobby in high school, which eventually led to the pursuit of a formal education in Kinesiology. As a junior enrolled in URI’s Kinesiology program, he began an internship at Northeast Sports Training that he continued through graduation. Upon graduation Steve continued to coach at NEST while also working as an assistant Strength Coach at Brown University. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA, as well as a Titleist Performance Institute certified coach. While Steve has worked with athletes and exercise enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels, his concentration is on working with golfers to improve their ability to play the game and to keep them pain free.
Click here to learn more about Steve’s background in this interview by Empire Radio!
Articles By Steve:
Get Your Ski Legs; RI Fit Magazine, Issue #9 Page 34-35
Build Your Foundation First; RI Health and Fitness
Stabile Hips are Powerful Hips; SNE Golfer, October 2017 Issue, Page 25
Mike Lefebvre
B.S., CSCS, TPI Certified, CSAC
Coach
Born in Warwick, RI and now living in Cranston RI, Mike graduated from Pilgrim high school in Warwick. He went on to graduate from Rhode Island college with a B.S in community health & wellness with a concentration in wellness & movement studies. When he was a kid Mike was always involved with sports, mainly football, basketball and baseball. He was always passionate about exercise and always knew that he wanted to help people in some way. While pursuing his degree in college he grew a strong interest for human sciences (anatomy, physiology, kinesiology) & biomechanics. He realized that a career that encompasses both exercise and human sciences would be a perfect fit for himself. He completed his internship here at Olympia Fitness where he received great hands-on experience in the field of strength & conditioning. After his internship he came on board to our team and has quickly learned how much of a difference he can make in his client’s lives. He’s very passionate about helping others reach their health goals as well as bettering himself each day. To Mike, there’s no better feeling than seeing somebody happy with their progress, because it’s an opportunity for that person to realize they CAN reach any goal they set out for themselves. Mike wants his clients to not only enhance their overall physical health status, but to also feel better mentally, socially, intellectually and emotionally. If he were to give someone one piece of advice it would be “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
Katie Usher
B.S., CSCS, NASM-CPT
Coach
Katie is a native Vermonter, but she came to Rhode Island to attend the University of Rhode Island to get a B.S. in Kinesiology and a B.S. in Psychology. Growing up, she was always an athlete and played basketball, softball, and field hockey. While she knew she didn’t have the best skill set on her teams she wanted to become a standout athlete. She turned to a strength and conditioning coach in the beginning of high school for help on that endeavor and hasn’t stopped training since. Upon entering college, she walked onto the Women’s Rowing Team at URI and her dedication to training allowed her to make the team, lead them to three consecutive conference championships, and become a captain in her final two years on the team.
In her final semester at URI, Katie completed an internship with Olympia and then joined the staff as a coach. She is thrilled to help people reach their goals, not only by training, but by changing their mindset and work ethic.
Pat Sturdahl
B.S., CSCS
Coach
Pat was born and raised in Rhode Island, where he graduated from Exeter-West Greenwich High School. He played varsity basketball all four years there and his team won the Division II State Championship his freshman year. Pat earned All-State honors his senior year and is part of the 1,000-point club. After high school, Pat continued playing basketball at a collegiate level for three years. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2013 with a B.S in Exercise Science.
Prior to joining our staff, Pat worked in an outpatient physical therapy setting for over seven years. He enjoys working with clients to help improve their mobility, stability and strength. Pat has experience working with local high school teams where he previously ran “Speed Schools.” This training focused on sport specific movements and plyometric drills. An assessment tool Pat likes to use is the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). This test consists of seven functional movements and is important in identifying weakness and asymmetries.
Outside of work Pat plays in competitive basketball leagues throughout the state and is an avid golfer. He is a fan of all New England sports teams and he loves spending time with his dogs.
Amanda Zarriello
PT, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Amanda graduated from Sacred Heart University with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and received her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Rhode Island. Besides her academic career, she participated in varsity sports in high school and went on to pursue track and field at the University of Rhode Island. Both her participation in athletics and her passion to help others have steered her to the field of physical therapy.
Amanda believes that skilled manual therapy can make an immediate improvement in someone’s pain and mobility. So over the past 6 years Amanda has dedicated her post-graduate studies learning the most advanced and evidence-based practice techniques, including trigger-point dry needling and spinal manipulation. She has worked primarily in the the outpatient orthopedic setting treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions and sports related injuries. Her practice methods and values are rooted in collaborating with her patients, utilizing one-on-one hands on care, and treating the entire person.
In 2018 Amanda opened up her own practice in her hometown, Cranston, RI. Her goals are to continue to grow as a physical therapist, give back to the community she grew up in, and to provide the most innovative and comprehensive treatment plans to get her patients back to the active life they want to live.
Mary Keough
PT, DPT, ATC
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Athletic Trainer
Mary Keough received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Rhode Island and received her undergraduate in Athletic Training from the University of New England. She has been a certified Athletic Trainer since 2016 and earned her clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2019. Upon her graduation in 2019, Mary continued her career in sports medicine and orthopedics, primarily treating musculoskeletal conditions that present in all populations including athletes, weekend warriors, and individuals with neurological disorders.
Mary enjoys treating athletic/active populations looking to return to high-level activities and individuals looking to enhance their overall movement potential. Her treatment approach utilizes a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to create individualized treatment plans that incorporate both manual techniques and therapeutic exercise with the overall purpose of meeting the unique needs of each client.
Mary is a former collegiate athlete as a member of the UNE Women’s Basketball team. She currently participates in both a recreational and competitive travel flag football program year round. Mary continues to have first hand experience in understanding the importance of staying healthy in order to maximize athletic potential. She looks forward to working with each client to reach their individualized goals in order to maximize their functional and athletic capacity.
Michelle Gauvin
B.A., M.A., LMT
Massage Therapist
Having been interested in massage therapy for many years, Michelle realized her goal of becoming a certified and licensed therapist in 2008. Being an athlete (volleyball, snowboarder and paddleboarder) and gym-rat herself, she has a particular interest in treating the athletic community.
For Michelle, massage therapy is instrumental in dealing with the aches, pain, tightness, and soreness that are the consequences of playing hard and pushing our bodies. Receiving massage regularly will reduce the chronic pain of repetitive use injuries, increase your range of motion, free up constricted soft tissues, and reduce likelihood of injury. She understands her clients passion to keep going and wants to help them stay on their feet. Massage therapy is an important component of recovery in keeping the body healthy!
As of spring 2014, Michelle became certified in prenatal massage. When clients get pregnant they want to still be able to see their regular therapist and Michelle can make that happen 🙂