Matthew Dzuryachko

My name is Matthew M. Dzuryachko. I am 5’9 and weigh roughly 170 pounds. I am a college graduate and am currently working full-time. I graduated Cabrini College in May 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion with a concentration in Physical Therapy. Upon graduating I started working for Medifit Corporate Services and I’m currently still employed with the company. Medifit specializes in corporate fitness. I started working as a Health and Fitness Specialist untll I took a leave of absence to attend to a family matter. From August to December of 2005 I moved to Southern Mississippi to help raise my cousin’s 4 kids while he was shipped to Iraq. (On a side note, I was there for everything before, during and after Hurricane Katrina). Once I returned from Southern Mississippi, Medifit re-hired me and promoted me to Sr. Health and Fitness Specialist. I have always been active and that is no different today. Growing up I played in a few youth basketball leagues, various youth and young adult baseball leagues and continued playing until my junior year of high school. In 7th grade my elementary school stared a track and field program. I decided to take 1 year off of baseball and try something new. It was at this time I think I discovered a hidden passion. I enjoyed running! I participated in the 4x100 meter relay (lead off and anchor), long jump and shot put. My shot put partner and I made districts in which we took 2nd. Sadly, it was a one year wonder. Since that year I began running as a hobby, but not competitively. During my last year of high school I decided to give track and field another go-around. I participated in the 4x400 meter relay (lead off and anchor), 4x100 meter relay (anchor), 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. I made districts in the 4x100 meter relay, 200-meter dash and 100-meter dash. I finished in the top 6 for both the 100 and 200-meter dashes and our relay team finished in the top 8. When I started college I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate in any intercollegiate sports, but I decided to give it a try my freshman year. My college did not have a baseball program so I decided to join the track and field team. To my surprise the coach of the track and field team was also the coach of the cross-country team. He told me “If you would like to run for me, you must run cross country as well.” I had no idea what I was getting in to. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed running longer distances than sprinting. My freshman year I ran cross country, indoor and outdoor track, but from my sophomore year till my senior year I focused more on cross country. In my four years at Cabrini we were Runner-Up two times and finished 4th out of 7 or so teams the other two times. To this day I still run as a hobby and enjoy every second of it. I am also into weight training to keep my body in shape. I am working out 3 days a week and running roughly 4 days a week. At work I’m teaching Group Exercise Classes such as: Stretch, Boot Camp, Toning, Butts/Guts/Thighs, and Abs/Lo-Back. At various points during the year some friends and I rent out a local gymnasium and play pick-up basketball games. To me, staying active is a necessity. You should do it and have fun while you’re doing it. How did I become interested in my profession? That is a good question and in my opinion a good story. It all started when I was playing baseball in high school. It was the first game of my sophomore year. I was running home on a suicide bunt and there was going to be a play at the plate. I slid into home plate (feet first) and the catcher dropped to the ground to prevent me from getting to the plate landing on my fully extended knee. When I got up to walk back to the dugout I felt some tenderness in my left knee. I finished the game and the other game later that week. The pain was still there so I finally decided to have my knee checked out. It turned out I had a slight fracture in my knee and had a small accumulation of fluid behind my knee. My Orthopedic Specialist sent me to Physical Therapy and it was here where I developed my passion for Fitness. The atmosphere and the connection I developed with my Therapist was great. She treated me like a friend and not a patient. To this day I have not had any pain in that injured knee. It is my long-term goal to become a Physical Therapist, but for now I’m more than happy helping others through Physical Fitness and Rehabilitation. Two quotes that I live by are “Life is a dance. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow” and “If you put your mind to it and give it your all, nothing is impossible.”