The Shadelands Scene
Community news, updates, and insights
COPA STC—ALMOST HERE!
COPA Soccer Training Center (COPA STC) and COPA FIT are on the brink of opening this summer in the premier 215,000-SF multi-sport Shadelands SportsMall ( The Shadelands Scene , July 2019 ). When asked just when the COPA STC grand opening will be, Andy McDermott , Director of Culture for COPA STC, replies with an enthusiastic, “Soon!”
 
Until that day, here’s a sample of what you'll find inside COPA STC's 100,000-SF hi-tech assessment, training, competition, and entertainment center with cutting-edge, skills-based soccer, speed, and sports performance training for players of all ages and abilities.

The main entrance to COPA STC is off Shadelands Drive, on the south side of the building, identified by the large soccer ball atop the entrance.
 
The main entrance to COPA FIT is on the west side of the SportsMall building, near the separate entrance to EncoreGym, which opened in July.

COPA Fit is a a multi-faceted fitness, performance, and speed training membership gym with classes and equipment open to the public, where moms and dads, business people, and community members can join as members, whether they know anything about soccer or not. COPA FIT also offers more intense athletic conditioning and classes and a hi-tech speed lab for training just as pro athletes train.

COPA Cube is a training space in which a ball is shot out of a ball launcher and the player must pass it through to one of 64 windows that light up with each ball.
 
• The COPA Turf Arena , which is about two-thirds the size of a regulation soccer field, is designed for leagues, tournaments, training, and camps. Motorized curtains can divide the space into three smaller fields and, no matter the weather outside, it’s always just right in the COPA Turf Arena.

• The COPA Pro Shop will sell COPA gear, clothing, and novelties. Two banquet rooms double as birthday party rooms .

COPA Futsal has its own space, where this popular version of indoor soccer is played on a harder surface and with a smaller, heavier ball.

2640 Shadelands Drive
Walnut Creek
925.357.8978


Click here to sign up for
a guided tour of COPA STC.

Or contact info@copastc.com.
COPA Kids is designed for children up through age seven who want to play and have fun, while learning balance, coordination, and stabilization, as well as social skills and team work.
 
COPA Train is the next level, designed for ages eight and up. This is a membership model where, like a gym, members pay monthly to train intensively across ball mastery and cognitive and physical improvement.
"COPA STC is an environment of deliberate practice driven by technology, sports science, and proven methodologies," says Andy. "COPA takes you to the next level, whatever that next level is for you."

Note : The entrance to COPA FIT also opens to the main SportsMall corridor leading to entrances for American Swim Academy , Vibe Volleyball, Mike Murphy Baseball , Sparta Taekwondo , Raga Yoga , and executive offices for Walnut Creek Surf Soccer Club .

The John Muir Health Ultimate Fieldhouse , which opened in 2016, has its own entrance at 2675 Mitchell Drive.
TEAM VOLUNTEERING HAS
ITS REWARDS!
Every September, Contra Costa Crisis Center offers business team volunteer opportunities throughout the East Bay. Formerly known as Corporate Volunteer Week , this is the largest corporate volunteer program in the San Francisco Bay Area. This year, the program has been renamed and expanded to a full month of service.


September 9–October 5

Teams of volunteers from Bay Area businesses are matched with local nonprofits to complete short-term projects. Check out the volunteer projects on the Contra Costa Crisis Center portal and then rally your team of 6-50+ employees to volunteer their time and services during the month-long corporate volunteer event. There is no fee to participate and your help is needed!

925.939.1916
307 Lennon Lane
Walnut Creek
Business team volunteers touch up and beautify a community mural.
For more information, contact
925.472.5768
APP & MENTOR AID WEIGHT LOSS TO REDUCE JOINT PAIN
Muir Orthopaedic Specialists (Muir Ortho) offers a medically designed and supervised, app-based weight loss program, LeanMD , for patients struggling to lose weight and keep it off.
 
Dr. Charles Preston , orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at Muir Ortho leads the LeanMD program.
 
“I consistently see people in my office who have musculoskeletal pain in their hip or knee, but the problem isn't structural. These aren’t patients who need surgery," says Dr. Preston. "It's really the 50 or 60 pounds of extra weight they're carrying that's pressing down on their joints, causing severe joint pain.”

Most people benefit from physical therapy for joint pain, but physical therapy can be challenging in the face of 50 or more extra pounds. If exercise is part of joint pain relief, it’s difficult, and often discouraging, to exercise with the extra weight.

"What these patients would really benefit from," says Dr. Preston, "is weight loss.”

Dr. Preston says the Lean MD program fits perfectly into an orthopedic practice where people have joint pain that is secondary to obesity. "Once they lose the weight, particularly with knee pain, we find the pain goes away.”

The key to weight loss is a proper diet and LeanMD focuses on the proper diet, caloric restriction, and retraining the diet lifestyle under medical supervision and mentor support.

After the first consultation, assessment, and customized program plan is in place, patients meet weekly with their certified weight loss mentors, who are medical assistants.
Redwood Building
2625 Shadelands Drive
Walnut Creek
925.939.8585
LeanMD@muirortho.com
Their weight, vitals, and body fat percentage are synced with their smart phone, as are their progress log and list of appropriate food choices for their specific situation.

Dr. Preston notes that not every calorie is the same—a sugar calorie is not the same as a protein calorie. “During this time period, not only are we restricting calories, but we are changing content.

"We are educating people about a new healthy lifestyle—a lifestyle of food choices that will come naturally to them as they lose weight and feel the results. And they'll maintain this lifestyle because of the changes they've been making over time.”
KEEPING DANCERS DANCING,
PERFORMERS PERFORMING
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes is home to a distinctive Dance Medicine Program , now in its fifth year, that caters to dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, figure skaters, and musicians, with a focus on strength and flexibility and on the fundamentals of proper technique and movement. Its purpose is to help prevent injury and chronic pain, and to help young dancers and performers rehab with corrective exercises after an injury so they can get back to doing what they most enjoy doing.

Dr. Coleen Sabatini is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the Dance Medicine Program. “In general, our young athletes—and dancers are absolutely athletes—tend to focus on how good they make a particular move look, rather than focusing on the fundamentals that allow them to do the move correctly for their body," says Dr. Sabatini.

"In dance and artistic performance, there’s often not enough early emphasis on appropriate technique, and therefore we see a number of young performers who have overuse and mal-use issues and injuries,” she says. “We created the Dance Medicine Program in response to the need to help our young athletes better understand their bodies and protect their bodies from injury and chronic pain so they can continue doing what they love well into adulthood.”

Dr. Sabatini and the team of physical therapists (PTs) who carry out the work with dancers and performers all have personal experience with dance, movement, and performance. They speak the language of dance, yet, as medical professionals, they also understand the musculoskeletal system and how to heal and protect young bodies.

Caitlin Mouille is a doctor of physical therapy and lead for the entire Dance Medicine Program for all four campuses. “We screen dancers and performers, either individually or in groups, using specialized equipment and through observation by our physical therapists, who all have dance and performance backgrounds," says Caitlin. "We assess their strength and flexibility, which is general to all dancers and performers. Then, depending on a dancer's chosen dance type, we take them through dance specific movements for ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop."

From this assessment, PTs develop a score that tells clients if they’re at a low, medium, or high risk of injury. If there is an injury or a risk of injury, PTs follow up with therapy sessions to address those issues standing in the way of health and performance. The program is for athletes ages 6 to 18; therapists work with dancers to age of 25.


Walnut Creek Campus
2401 Shadelands Drive
Walnut Creek
925.979.3430
"The crux of the program is the physical therapy side," says Dr. Sabatini, "because the vast majority of problems that we see dancers and performers for are issues that can be fully addressed in a non-operative way through physical therapy and technique modification."
WITH HELP COMES HOPE
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month , a time to share resources and stories and engage the public about suicide prevention and warning signs.

The Contra Costa Crisis Center is always there to listen and help, 24/7.

If you are in crisis and need help immediately, or if you know someone who is struggling:

• call 211 , or

• call 800.833.2900 , or

• text HOPE to 20121 now.

Doing so will quickly connect you with Contra Costa Crisis Center specialists.


925.939.1916
307 Lennon Lane
Walnut Creek


Contra Costa Crisis Center
also answers the toll-free

National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline
800.273.TALK (8255)


Free event:


September 12, 9:30am-2:30pm
San Ramon Community Center
12501 Alcosta Blvd., San Ramon
HEALTHY, TASTY NEWS FROM DEL MONTE
Located on N. Wiget Lane between the UC Master Gardener Community Garden and Kaiser Permanente Park Shadelands Medical Offices, the Del Monte Foods Research Center has been Del Monte’s epicenter of fruit, vegetable, tomato, and broth discovery and creation for more than 50 years.
 
Innovation is a top priority for Del Monte Foods, demonstrated by its development and launch of more nutritious foods that also meet consumers' trending needs for grab-and-go convenience.
 
This summer, Del Monte revealed seven new product lines that are in stores now. The new products include Del Monte’s first foray into the frozen category.


• Del Monte ® Fruit Crunch Parfait
• Del Monte ® Citrus Bowls
• Del Monte ® Veggieful frozen bites
• Del Monte ® Bubble Fruit   
• Contadina ® Pizzettas
• College Inn ® Simple Starter
• College Inn ® Culinary Stock
College Inn ® Culinary Stock, Artisan Chicken and Savory Beef
205 N. Wiget Lane
Walnut Creek
925.949.2772
Del Monte Bubble Fruit with popping boba
HERE COMES THE BRIDAL FAIRE!
Hosted by the
Walnut Creek Historical Society

Sunday, September 22
Noon-4pm

2660 Ygnacio Valley Road
Walnut Creek
925.935.7871

Plan your dream wedding
all in one place!

Caterers • Bakeries • DJs
Florists • Decorators • Gift registry
Photographers & Photo booths
Bridal gowns • Formal wear
Hairdressers • Makeup
Event planners • Travel planners

Raffle and prizes throughout the day, with a chance to win the Grand Prize!
Pre-sale tickets $10/person
At the door $15/person
Price includes one raffle ticket for
Grand Prize Raffle

Christine Baltzley
christinebaltzley.wchs@gmail.com
PUPPY LOVE & KITTEN PLAY


Saturday, September 28
5:30-8pm
2890 Mitchell Drive
Walnut Creek

Enjoy local wines and craft beers, appetizers from local eateries, live music, and live & silent auctions.

Therapy pets from ARF’s Pet Hug Pack® will be on hand to greet guests, while adorable, adoptable dogs and cats looking for forever homes mingle with the crowd.
Wine & Whiskers supports
ARF's live-saving programs
for pets and people.
DOCENT TOURS OF HISTORICAL WALNUT CREEK SEPT. 14, OCT. 12
On the 2nd Saturday of the month, now through October, the Walnut Creek Historical Society is sponsoring free , 90-minute guided walking tours through downtown Walnut Creek, stopping at historical points of interest and establishments with storied pasts. These easy walking tours bring to life the early days of Walnut Creek.

The next walking tour is Saturday, September 14.
Check-in at 9am at the Liberty Bell Plaza fountain, corner of Broadway & Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Tours begin at 9:30. Registration is not required.

• Saturday, September 14, 9am
• Saturday, October 12, 9am
Walnut Creek's former El Rey Theater, 1937, on Main Street at Civic Drive
For more tour information, visit Walnut Creek Historical Society
Write to us at Shadelands@walnut-creek.com.
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