PTU Golf Team is the Cutest!

The PTU Golf Team of Robert Rodriguez, Greg Pierson, Stephen Rodriguez and Dustin Cross traveled to Dallas in October for the Texas PTN Annual Conference Golf Tournament. "We played at the Texas Star Golf Course in Euless," said Robert. "It was a beautiful course and the temperatures were in the 80s."

Nineteen teams of men and women played in the tournament that PTU won last year. They were back to defend their title but they were also looking to gain a new distinction. "Several groups of people on the course wanted to take photos of us because of our distinctive and unique outfits," said Greg. The PTU team wore nice khaki, white, blue and green striped golf shirts with navy embroidery. The shirt was complimented by khaki knickers, navy knee-high socks and a navy golf hat.

PTU finished the day with a score of 50 which was good enough for a 3rd place finish. They were just 2 strokes out of first place. Although they didn't win the tournament, they did win the "Best Looking" team award.

PTU Bowling Team Rocks!

The PTU Bowling team consisting of Alex, Liza, Emma, Michelle and Brett participated in the JDRF's Bowl-a-Thon on October 3 at Fiesta Lanes in New Braunfels. Friend of PTU Donna Tousley organized the event to raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes Research.

We found out that we have some really good bowlers at PTU! Michelle was the stand-out athlete and had the high score for all the ladies bowling! On the other end of the spectrum, Liza and Emma were lucky not to go sliding down the gutter themselves!

"I hadn't bowled in a very long time but I really enjoyed it. It was nice to have a fun outing with my co-workers outside of work," said Alex.

All in all, everyone had a great time and some much needed money was raised for a great cause.

New Part-Time Tech Ashley Seale

Ashley Seale is the newest part-time physical therapy technician at PTU. She is currently a student at Texas State University but attended Northwest Vista Community College in San Antonio for 3 years. Ashley grew up in Mt. Airy, Maryland. Due to her parents' military transfer, she relocated to South Texas and has made it her home.

Ashley is a Sociology major but decided to volunteer at PTU to see if she was interested in changing her career path. Her volunteer job soon became a part-time job when PTU needed more staff.

She loves going out to listen to live music and enjoys all kinds except rap. Her favorite thing about working at PTU is helping people and being able to see the progress that they make every day. "The people who work at PTU and the patients are all very nice," she said. Ashley currently lives in San Marcos and wants to continue focusing on school.

Welcome Mary to PTU

PTU welcomes Mary Marino to the front office staff. Mary was born in New Braunfels but finished high school in New York. Upon graduating, she decided to stay in New York and attended Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie where she studied business administration and billing. "I worked in billing for a while but then I got an opportunity to do case management in social work so I was doing that before moving to Texas," said Mary.

With three daughters, Mary decided she wanted to move back to New Braunfels to be near her family. She and daughters Jacqueline 14, Jolie 6 and Janna 4 have been back for about a month. "Although it only took a month to find this position, it felt like it was a year," said Mary. "I'm excited to be a part of PTU and I'm anxious to learn more."

Although Mary will miss the great New York hiking trails and the colors of the fall, she looks forward to working and raising her children in New Braunfels.

PTU Golf Team

The PTU Golf Team picked up their sticks and played in the Vaaler Creek monthly golf tournament in August. The four-man team consisted of PTU's owner Robert Rodriguez, PTU's Canyon Lake therapist Dustin Cross, PTU's Golf Fitness Assistant Greg Pierson and PTU's Construction Manager Kurt Muniz. Greg Pierson is back from a serious surgery in May to fuse several vertebra. "My game is not completely back but it's getting there," said Greg.

Although it was a very hot day, the steady breeze made the weather a bit more tolerable. The team withstood the heat, played very consistently and shot 12 under par. They narrowly missed first place by less than two strokes in the 16-team "Captain's Choice" tournament.

The highlight of PTU's tournament was Robert's 180 yard shot to the green that led to an eagle on a par 5. Not to mention Kurt's closest to the pin win on a par 3.

"There was a good crowd and it was a very well organized tournament," said Robert. "We will definitely be back."

The team left with gift certificates to Vaaler Creek's pro shop and an enjoyable day on the course.

Therapists Continually Strive for Knowledge

PTU Owner/Director Robert Rodriguez and PTU Canyon Lake Director Dustin Cross continually work towards keeping apprised of the newest and latest techniques in physical rehabilitation.

They both just completed a course in San Antonio called the "Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy: Practical Management of the Patient with Dizziness and Balance Dysfunction."

They reviewed the anatomy and physiology of the vestibular and balance systems. They performed detailed examinations and combined with patient history, they identified specific features of vestibular disorders and non-vestibular dizzines. Robert and Dustin also practiced prescribing rehab programs for vestibular dysfunction.

Overall they received an excellent review of vestibular rehab therapy and will put that knowledge to work at PTU.

"It was good to have a refresher course in that area of physical rehab. There's so much to know when dealing with different patients' symptoms and I'm always looking to learn more," said Robert. "It was also great to bump into a fellow therapist I hadn't seen in over 30 years."

Try This! Grilled Chicken Sliders

1 lb. skinless chicken breasts
4 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped
1 tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 tsp. honey
6 whole wheat cocktail buns, split
3 tbs. honey mustard
12 red apple slices

1)Cut chicken breasts into 6 pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink in the center, turn once.

2)Mix kiwi, mint, honey and more salt and pepper. Spread bottom buns with honey mustard and add two apple slices, chicken, kiwi mixture and bun tops. Make 6 mini sliders.

Nutrition: 218 calories
21 g protein
3 g fat
27 g carbs
4 g fiber
59 mg calcium
2 mg iron