Raiders strength and conditioning assistant Chris DiSanto talks with visitors at a health and wellness fair. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
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The Oakland Raiders strength and conditioning assistant coach Chris DiSanto led a demo of the Raiders flexibility program for guests at the Health and Wellness Fair for the Waterfront in Alameda, Calif. DiSanto showed the group the players' pregame stretching routine. "I tried to discuss the reasons why we stretch, why we emphasize flexibility with our players, and the fact that it helps prevent soft tissue injuries, the fact that it helps remove soreness especially postgame, helps them get loose before games," said DiSanto.
Perlita Parmisano, one of the event coordinators, participated in the short stretching demonstration. "I'm thrilled and excited," said Parmisano. "I'm going to be talking about this to my husband and to everybody. I wish employees had more time to participate. It was nice having the Raiders here. [This fair is] all about showing people that they can improve their health by educating themselves with whatever the vendor is presenting to them."
Another participant, Amanda Salama from Lucy Activewear, enjoyed learning from the Raiders coach. "It was really cool to see what the Raiders do pregame," said Salama. "We do a lot of that, we're a yoga company, so we do a lot of stretching, and those were pretty much all new stretches for us. Just those 10 minutes felt really great."
DiSanto was happy to be out in the community and share his knowledge with the people at the fair. "It's a lot of fun to get out and be around different people and help people and maybe open their eyes to something that may help them in their lives," said DiSanto. "It's great to be out in the community. I felt like everybody got into it. Everyone was trying to do it the right way and that's where you have to emphasize move at your own pace, don't do too much. Half the battle is understanding where you are and creating a starting point for yourself and then using that as a building block for future gain."
Raider Nation on Location was also on hand for the wellness fair. Guests of the fair had the opportunity to win prizes and speak to Raiders representatives. "It was our main attraction," said Parmisano. "Obviously, you put up that tent and you just blew everybody away and having the coach come and show us the exercise, it was fantastic. It's a big help."
