NO BENCHWARMERS HERE

NO BENCHWARMERS HERE

THE SIDELINE: A place for all ages to get healthy

Story by LISA SAVAGE

Photography by MATT LEDGER

As a young boy growing up in Martin, Eddie Hutchens loved watching movies at the Varsity. “When I was 10 years old, it was the place to go,” he says.

Now, the old theater has a new lease on life as The Sideline, a physical therapy and fitness center. Hutchens and his wife, Jen- nie, work out there a few times each week. Hutchens underwent knee replace- ment three years ago, and now, at 74, he hopes to stay fit using the facility’s bikes and elliptical equipment. His wife, five years younger, attends a Silver Sneakers aerobics class. “When we go, it’s mostly retired folks, but The Sideline has some- thing for all ages,” he says. “It’s a great place.”

That’s what Brian Smith hoped to accomplish when he bought the historic Varsity Theatre and opened The Sideline in 2005. After working for other rehabili- tation centers, he started a private practice in 2003. Looking for additional space, he learned the church that owned the Varsity Theatre building wanted to sell. “It was a good fit,” he says.

Renovations were challenging at the theater, which dates back to 1947. It closed in the mid-1980s, reopened briefly as a theater in the mid-1990s, and was home to the Daystar Bible Church until 2004, when Smith purchased the building. The theater’s floor sloped downward, and the marquee needed repairs. Renovations included leveling the floor, adding lighting, upgrading the electrical system and restoring the theater’s marquee, incorporating The Sideline name and keeping Varsity on the facade.

“These were the biggest challenges,” Smith says. “We wanted to preserve as much of the building’s history as possible.”

Personal trainer Ben Jones knocks out a quick workout.

Eddie Hutchens exercises three days a week, working on strength and flexibility after knee surgery three years ago.

Brian Smith, owner of The Sideline, works on balance and agility exercises with patient Lathan Lance.

Physical therapy student Ken Melrose works on rehabilitation exercises with Deica Croom.

THE SIDELINE

Smith knew from the time he injured his knee playing basketball at Westview High School and went through physical therapy that he wanted to do this as a career. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in physical therapy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

Smith chose the business name after spending time on the sidelines at football games and other sporting events. “The Sideline just seemed like a perfect fit for what we wanted to accomplish,” he says. “We wanted to make sure our patients and clients were active and not having to be on the sidelines and get back to their prior level of function, whether it was following surgery or an injury.”

The goal ranges from returning high school athletes to their sports and healing pediatric patients’ ailments to making sure senior adults can live as independently as possible. “We want to see them be able to play with their grandkids or travel,” Smith says.

The Sideline provides progressive, one-on-one physical therapy services. The staff includes physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who provide care for patients of all ages and conditions. They emphasize manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, patient education and orthotics. Smith says if someone requires physical therapy, they can ask their doctor to write treatment orders for The Sideline’s physical therapy clinic. Open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, the clinic also offers sports medicine outreach coverage and injury assessments for the local school system at no charge.

PHYSICALLY FIT

The Sideline fitness center is accessible to members 24 hours a day, every day, and includes classes and programs suitable for most ages at a variety of intensity levels. Anyone can join. Equipment includes a wide range of strength training, fitness equipment and a full line of cardio equipment.

Group exercise classes are offered at several different times for the convenience of members, from early in the morning to evenings after work. “There’s a time and class for everyone,” Smith says. Often, a physical therapy patient can transfer to the fitness center to continue to gain strength and maintain physical health.

TRACKING PROGRESS

On the fitness side of things, there are apps to track progress and other options to monitor a member’s activities. About 20 of the cardiovascular machines are connected to Wi-Fi, allowing clients to track their progress and even stream services such as Netflix to the equipment they’re using. “The equipment is set up to allow our members to track their progress over time,” he says. “We need it to move at the speed we’re moving, so we rely on our wireless internet. It’s more efficient for us.”

The internet WK&T provides makes utilizing some of the best technology-based equipment possible, Smith says. “Without it, a lot of the equipment and tracking we’re doing wouldn’t be possible,” Smith says. “As a physical therapy provider, we’ve grown more than I ever imagined we could. The internet and technology we have help us to continue to grow.”

Location: 104 Oxford St., Martin, Tennessee Call: 731-587-3422 www.thesideline247.com