Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 2 June 2015 | Page 16

Homecoming...

League Soccer draft works similar to
those of the NBA and NFL) where I played
for two years. Then was traded to
Colorado and spent a year and a half
there, then to Salt Lake City where I
played for 8 years. I had a great time in
Utah. It was a really good time and I
loved the organization and all the guys.
Then our coach, who had coached me
there for 7 seasons, ended up coming to
be the coach of the new team in New York
City, which is called New York City FC.
They are owned by the City Football
Group and partly by the New York Yankees
organization. So when he came to New
York, the possibility of my coming home
and playing for him again occurred to me
. Playing in New York was, I felt, an
opportunity I couldn't pass up if it came
to that, and it has all worked out. So I'm
really excited to be back.
PS: Do you hope to complete your playing
career here in New York?
CW: I do. At this point, hopefully I
continue playing for another 5 years or
so, but I am getting a little bit older in
terms of soccer years, though I still feel
fit and healthy. So yes, I don't see going
anywhere else at this point, and there
isn't really another organization that I'd
like to be a part of.
PS: Well, New York is home…and playing
at Yankee Stadium has got to be thrilling!
A dream-come-true for any local kid.
You still train in the off-season here at
Fitness Incentive, isn't that right?
CW: Yes, all the time! This is the first
time since college that I've been
permanently back in the area, and now
I'm here (at the gym) at least a few times
a week if not more. In the beginning of
the off-season I try to take a couple of
weeks off, just to let my body rest a little
bit. But after that I am for the most part
right back into training, and even though
it's “on my own” I'm lifting a few times a
week and running at least every other

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day…sometimes more, and then
playing a little bit as well. So I'm
here, and have been pretty
consistently for that 2-month period
encompassing December and January.
I still try to get here once in a awhile
in-season when I return to Babylon.
But since our training facility is in
Westchester, we play our home games
in Yankee Stadium, and I live in the
City, that's a little more of a
challenge.
PS: Talk a little about the role fitness
plays in your life…as a soccer player
you must have incredible stamina and
endurance.
CW: Absolutely. And the set-up here at
Fitness Incentive has been perfect for
me. There’s so much offered and to
do and that's just what I need. In my
off-season, my program is a
combination of lifting weights and
also doing a ton of cardio, usually
running on the treadmill. Some people
don't like the treadmill, but I don't
mind it at all, especially during the
winter when it's brutal outside. I love
to come in and hop on a treadmill,
zone out listening to my music and get
my miles done. Fitness Incentive
serves the needs not only for
professional athletes but also those on
the high school level—I see a ton of
high school athletes here. Mostly
Babylon, West Babylon, and West Islip,
but also other towns as well I'm sure. I
think it's great. I'd assume that most
of these young athletes have gyms in
their schools but come here anyway. I
think it's a testament to how great the
facilities are here that they choose to
come here and work out. I certainly
don't need anything more than what is
offered here. It has been more than
enough for my workout regimen. It's
one of the reasons I keep coming
back.

Summer 2015 FIT to Print

continued from page 4

PS: You obviously do a lot of running as a
professional and you mentioned that
running is an important part of your
training routines. Do you enjoy running?
CW: You know, in a sense it's the least
enjoyable part of the sport, but on the
other hand I'd have to say that I'm going
to be a runner for life. I do enjoy it…it
may be that when someone else is telling
me to do it I like it less than when I'm
pushing myself, but that's probably
natural. So yeah, I'll be a runner for my
whole life…my family is big into it…over
the years my sister has run with Corinne a
ton as well as with other people that
work here at Fitness. She and my dad run
a lot and have run a number of
marathons together. I don't know,
though, that I'll ever do the marathon
thing.
PS: I don't necessarily see a marathon in
my future either, though I remember
running with Cor and your sister Kerri in
the Ocean To Sound Relay back in 2006.
CW: She loves it…she's up at 5:00 every
morning running. Does she love it too
much? I sometimes worry because running
can be tough on the joints. But she's
extremely healthy and running definitely
runs—no pun intended—in my family.
PS: How do the prospects look for your
new club this year? It's an expansion
team, isn't it?
CW: Correct. This is New York City FC's
first year, having joined the league this
year along with Orlando. We are the two
new teams added to Major League Soccer.
I'm really excited about it. I think we
have a lot of potential though we're
struggling a little at the moment. But
we're close…I feel like we're really close,
and are kind of “turning the corner.”
Results to this point haven't been going
our way, and it's been disappointing. But
the support has been incredible, playing
in Yankee Stadium has been great, and
for me to play in front of my home town