Talking Sports and Fitness with Zeke

Dr. Adam Feldman, a 52-year-old cardiologist with the Tower Health Medical Group in West Reading, shares his remarkable story as a world-class fencer. Feldman started fencing in 1980, was a three-time All-American at Penn State from 1983-87; the NCAA foil champion in 1986 and won silver in the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival. With the demand of medical school consuming his time, he stopped competing in 1988. When his daughter Jessica took up fencing at Pitt, Dr. Feldman tells Zeke that he gave her some lessons and that rekindle his interest in fencing. His comeback came in 2015 and immediately returned to form, good enough to go the 2015 Maccabiah Games in Berlin. He tore a meniscus a week before the competition and had surgery a month later. Dr. Feldman tells Zeke that he resumed his comeback in 2016 and with light training won the Keystone Games foil event for veterans. He returned to the national level in 2017, winning his age division in the U.S. Nationals and winning gold medals in the 40-and-up and 50-and-up foil and a silver medal in 50-and-older epee in the Pan-Am Games. Dr. Feldman tells Zeke that his performance in nationals earned him a spot in the Veterans World Championships in Slovenia, where he finished 39th in individual foil.

When Larry Zerbe took over as director of the COR (City of Reading) Tennis Program in 2006, his vision was to expose city kids, most of whom would be picking up a racket for the first time, to the game of tennis. Zerbe tells Zeke that there originally had been some consideration given to limiting COR to city kids, but the lure of tennis, high-quality instruction, top-notch competition, and fun attracted more and more suburban kids and eventually every school district in the county was coming to the program. Zerbe, who grew up in the Oakbrook housing project and now is the Alvernia University tennis coach, tells Zeke that COR has helped break down barriers and turned the program into a melting pot – with tennis the common denominator fostering a connection between kids from different worlds. The kids come to COR for the tennis but leave with an appreciation and awareness that serves them for a lifetime. The remarkable thing about COR bridging social gaps is that tennis traditionally discriminates fiscally and culturally. Zerbe tells Zeke that he and his COR staff also offer adult classes. As for tennis, COR has produced a number of outstanding scholastic and collegiate players through its summer and winter programs. Zerbe tells Zeke that the COR program receives support from the Reading Recreation Department, Fromuth Tennis and the United States Tennis Association. The connections Zerbe has made with the USTA enables COR to send kids to the U.S. Open and Philadelphia Freedom matches.

Dr. Randy Yocum, the Director of Physical Therapy at Body Zone Sports and Wellness, discusses with Zeke the treatment of sports injuries. Yocum tells Zeke that his areas of interest include ACL rehabilitation and prevention, sport-specific rehabilitation and athletic performance enhancement. Sarah Vecchio, the Director of Fitness at Body Zone Sports and Wellness, shares with Zeke an overview of the 120-plus group exercise programs she plans and oversees in Body Zone’s studios and pool. Vecchio tells Zeke that their personal trainers evaluate their individual clients before designing a training regimen for them and she also discusses the classes she instructs.

Mike Spidale, the general manager and co-owner of Rip It, a batting cage and baseball training facility located on Macarthur Road near Reading Airport, tells Zeke how he and his staff spent the summer renovating the former Grand Slam USA building, refurbishing the four automated hitting cages and adding a 30-by-70-foot turf field that can be used for every type of instruction. Spidale, the Reading Fightin Phils' all-time leader in hits and games played who was elected to the Baseball town Hall of Fame this year, tells Zeke that youth coaching became his focus after he retired from playing in 2012. He formed the Berks County Bulls, a collection of teams from U12 to U16. Rip It was the next logical step. The facility is open Mondays through Fridays from 4-9, Saturdays from 11-8 and Sundays from 12-6. Spidale tells Zeke that the pitching instruction will be led by Steve Schrenk, the Fightin Phils pitching coach the previous two seasons and CEO of Pitching Coach Pro.

Patty Kroppe shares with Zeke her remarkable story of completing a marathon in each of the 50 states by the time she turned 50. Patty tells Zeke that when she was in the fourth grade and studying geography, she hoped to one day visit all 50 states. That led to a goal she would set well after finding out at age 11 that she had inherited a love of running from her father, also a marathoner. Kroppe completed her first marathon in 2000 while living in Australia; completed her first marathon in the U.S., the Detroit Marathon in 2002; and completed the circuit by completing the Kenai River Marathon in Alaska in 2016. Kroppe says one of her most memorable races was the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in North Bend, Wash., in 2011. That race course, which was on an old railroad trail on the side of a mountain, went 2.6 miles through a muddy tunnel. Kroppe tells Zeke that her husband has been her emotional coach through her journey and her two children have been big inspirations. She tied a few of her marathons into family vacations. She credits cross-training with Body Pump classes at Colonial Fitness, sculpting class at Flying Hills Fitness, yoga and stretching for helping her remain relatively injury free.