KINGSTON, N.Y. — Steve Samuels of Saugerties is one of a number of local residents afflicted with Parkinson’s who has discovered that working out in the Rock Steady Boxing program at Signature Fitness in Kingston has helped him deal with the dreaded disease.
“I also do other exercises for Parkinson’s at other places, but this group is a group where people like to see each other,” said Samuels, a former professor at UC Davis in California. “And we have fun. All the trainers care for us and they do their best to make sure people are not only having a good time, but they’re doing things correctly.”
Samuels showed off his boxing form after an interview by vigorously punching into padded mitts held by trainer Michelle De Dominicis before a class at the 33 North Front St. gym began one morning.
Samuels said he has been coming once a week to Signature Fitness since the classes began eight years ago. He said many in his group come before the regularly scheduled session to work out on some of the gym’s other machines as a way to stay fit.
“I work out at other places, but I’d say the training here is the most rugged,” Samuels said. “It really helps me.”
Saugerties resident Steve Samuels punches into padded mitts held by trainer Michelle De Dominicis as part of the Rock Steady Boxing program for those with Parkinson’s at Signature Fitness at 33 North Front St. in Kingston, New York.
Rick Remsnyder/Daily Freeman
Rock Steady Boxing was founded in 2006 by Scott C. Newman after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 40.
Determined to fight back, Newman started to train with his friend and former Golden Gloves boxer Vince Perez. Newman found this training was helping his symptoms to the point where his tremor was controlled and he felt “Rock Steady.”
An original group of six boxers started the first Rock Steady Boxing classes in an exercise room in the back of a finance company in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Today, Rock Steady Boxing is a thriving international nonprofit organization that has evolved into a network of health professionals and fitness professionals offering a non-contact, boxing-based fitness curriculum. There are currently over 800 programs in affiliate locations in every state and 14 countries.
Kenneth K. Beesmer, a senior vice president at Merrill Lynch and a former Kingston High football star, said his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 10 years ago.
His father, Ken Beesmer, was spending winters in Naples, Florida and started going to a Rock Steady Boxing affiliate there.
“He just loved it,” the younger Beesmer said. “He went to class and felt great after doing it. He met a lot of other people who had Parkinson’s and enjoyed the camaraderie, the training and everything else. He came back up here and obviously there was no class in Kingston.”
After contacting Rock Steady Boxing officials to discuss the procedures of starting an affiliate in Kingston, Beesmer contacted Signature Fitness owner John Perry who agreed to start the program for those with Parkinson’s at his gym.
“It started out slowly with four or five in a class and now it’s up to 16 to 18,” Beesmer said.
Beesmer said the Kingston community has responded to two fundraisers to fund the program, which includes boxing gloves, punching mitts and T-shirts for participants.
“We try to keep the price for it at rock bottom to make it accessible for just about anybody,” Beesmer said. “We’re really proud of the program and it continues to grow. The disease unfortunately is really accelerating. I see this program getting bigger and bigger sadly, but I’m glad it’s here because I think we really do make an impact on these people’s lives.”
De Dominicis said each participant adjusts their exercises to deal with their specific issues from Parkinson’s.
“There’s specific patterns we do on each of those bags,” she said. “We adjust their hand/eye coordination and balance. We use the machines to work on strength. We give them the right challenge for each person. Some folks have a lot more movement than others, so we just bring everybody along the best we can. Everyone who has tried it, tells me they’ve made improvement.”
“Balance is such a big part of this disease,” the younger Beesmer said. “So many people with Parkinson’s fatally fall. The balance piece is so incredibly important. Walking and all the things we take for granted.”
All the trainers that are involved in Rock Steady Boxing must complete in-person training in Indianapolis and then are recertified online on a regular basis.
“Everybody who trains or is hands-on with members has to have that training in place,” Beesmer said. “It’s very thorough.”
The elder Beesmer said Rock Steady Boxing has been very important to him.
“I find it helps with different things on different days,” he said.
Originally Published: October 26, 2025 at 11:27 AM EDT