COHASSET VILLAGE

~ By Maurajane Rogers 

Located where the Harbor meets the Bay, the Norfolk County exclave of Cohasset is found to be full of meandering roads amidst a picturesque setting. Rich in history that includes associations with notables from Captain John Smith (who, in his Description of New England in 1614 writes that they “found the people in those parts verie kinde; but in their furie no lesse valiant.”); to Hollywood hooligans (yes, that was Gordon Ramsay on the Common recently) Cohasset is a place where there is simply much more than meets the eye. Captain Smith’s nearly 400 year old description of the people of the land then known as Quonahassit carries over to modern day Cohasset. Who knew that below the scenic surface is a seemingly limitless supply of a hard charging population? From the office to the fields to the treadmills to the pub, a motto of 02025: “play hard, study harder, win big” brushes a broad stroke across the quaint community. Nestled within the rocky and sandy coastline, beyond the Hollywood backdrop and among the family friendly main streets and back roads are thriving businesses catering to residents and visitors alike. South Shore Magazine is pleased to spotlight a few in order to give the reader a glimpse into what the ‘corner of the south shore’ has to offer.

The Body Studio

Up first, The Body Studio, located at 87 Elm Street in the 02025. Directly across from Cohasset Harbor is the brainchild of Doug Bennett, a Clemson University graduate degreed in Biochemistry and Nutrition. If today is the day you decide to “shred fat off your body”, then you need to be part of the program designed by Bennett, the Fitgirl Transformation Program. Bennett is a former 7th ranked Division I squad wrestler (with Clemson University) and wrestling was just the tip of the iceberg. Utilizing his academic and physical fitness education, Bennett has virtually dedicated his life to whipping people into shape; with 22 years of working as a trainer and a vast knowledge in nutrition, he has helped thousands of women get into ultimate shape. Looking for a “whole body type of workout like wrestling” he discovered boxing. It was a Jimmy Farrell’s Boxing GYM in quincy where he made the transition from elite wrestler to boxing. After a year of working alongside top trainers a sparring top ranked boxers like Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczweski (whose latest fight recently aired on HBO), Bennett now shows female clients the “right way to box and burn 800 calories in one workout.”

On any given day at The Body Studio, expect to see any number of women, of varying degrees of fitness levels, hand wrapped and gloved, hitting the mitts at a feverish pace. For Bennett, this is where the rubber meets the road. His work with clients illustrates a dedication that can be somewhat mind boggling at times. Days are filled with both one-on-one and group sessions in which if you’re not completely soaked with sweat at the end, let’s face it, you just weren’t there. Bennett relishes the opportunity to transform (and that is a term not used loosely) anyone crossing the threshold at 87 Elm Street.

With a variety of exercise options to choose from, there is undoubtedly something for everyone. What works for this writer is the boxing sessions. I’m not talking some namby pamby choreography disco pop session. Women’s boxing at The Body Studio is the real deal. Wraps, gloves, stance, combinations, 3 minute rounds, speed over power, form and function and fury to the end. In a recent data study, Bennett shows that his training regimens DO work and the proof is in the pudding (just don’t eat it) with client weight losses ranging from 13 to 68 pounds in one summer. His FitGirl boxing program, now entering its fourth phase of clients who have had tremendous weight loss success (in addition to their overall physical fitness and well-being). This success is due in part also to the complete whole food diet, included in the program, as well as accountability with weigh-ins. The Boxing program started with 42 female clients, each of whom lost an average of 18 pounds in 8 weeks. They learn correct boxing technique and go through professional training without ever taking a punch.

Above and beyond the Studio, Bennett is bringing fitness and technology together with the launching of his fitness apps (find them on iTunes), which provide Cardio workouts, Body Burn Training sessions as well as diets that burn fat. His FitGirl app has been in the top 300 apps for the last 4 weeks and is featured on www.greatapps.com. In the next few months look for a new app that is strictly boxing/weight loss for females called (aptly enough) Fitgirl Boxing. Lest we forget the boys, Bennett plans to launch a complete diet and fitness blueprint for them called Buff Body Blueprint. Look for it on Kindle.

For now, Bennett continues to train any and all willing participants at 87 Elm Street in Cohasset, while he prepares for ringside World Championships next year with John O’Brien and Jimmy Farrell in Quincy. With 22 years of training under his belt, there is method in his madness. 8 weeks with Doug Bennett at The Body Studio will be the kick in the pants you need to embrace the change that will occur. Forget P90X, forget Insanity; meet Doug. I will share this with you, diligent reader; I met Doug Bennett three years ago and in 7 weeks I went from 155 pounds (gasp – scandalous!) to 135. Seven weeks…and buckets of sweat and copious amounts of cursing, but it was worth it. And so are you.

The Body Studio is located at 87 Elm Street, Cohasset. Reach Doug Bennett at (781) 383-2999, or find him online at www.mybodystudio.com.

The Good Sport

Cohasset trends toward achievements in excellence and the playing field is a perfect example. All residents know the place to go for all athletic needs is simply The Good Sport, located conveniently on Route 3A. Owner Austin Lyne has been providing the youth (and adults alike) with high quality equipment, athletic wear and sporting advice since 1975. It is brilliant that this ‘mom & pop’ location continues to thrive in spite of the monolith of the internet and the ‘big box stores’. Austin fully embraces that dying notion that it is not just what you sell, it’s how you sell it. Never will you be at a loss for assistance as he prides himself on guiding each and every client carefully to ensure they have what they need to suit their level of athletic ability and their budget.

For half a decade, The Good Sport has been recognized as Best of South Shore Sporting Goods Store by both the Mariner Newspapers and this publication. Any review of the store is found to be beyond glowing and singing the praise of Austin. His tenacious desire to guide and abide by the Golden Rule is felt and appreciated by those who frequent the shop. If it means talking a client out of purchasing new equipment by pointing out that a tweak here or a supplement there to equipment they already own, he will gladly do it. Taking the the idea of quality customer service to a whole new level, Austin is confident in his product lines and his commitment to the community and will not sell anyone anything they do not need.

Of course, he is able to outfit any athlete, of varying levels with virtually any equipment, gear, apparel they may need. Be it lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, hockey, basketball, field hockey, tennis, running, wrestling, street hockey, swimming or football, The Good Sport sports an exemplary inventory that ought to satisfy even the most intense athletic equipment requirements. Austin can even fully outfit even the most ardent Nerf warfare fan. Make The Good Sport your first stop at the beginning of any season. Find it at 166 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Route 3A in Cohasset, follow them on Twitter (twitter.com/goodsport9), like them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheGoodSportInc), or check them out online at www.cohassetgoodsport.com.

Mr. Dooley’s in Cohasset

Though it may be the little brother to Durty Nelly’s, Paddy O’s and the Green Dragon (to name a few in the family), Mr. Dooley’s in Cohasset is no bowsie. Long awaited and eagerly anticipated, the presence of a ‘pub done right’ in Cohasset Village was most welcome. Well on a year after John Joe Somers and Michael Carlyle sat before the Board of Selectman to request the all-liquor license for 9 Depot Court, the town couldn’t be more pleased. Mr. Dooley’s in Cohasset (or Dooley’s if you’re so inclined) is a place where the menu (best described as “international with an Irish flavor”) features heaping portions, behind the bar boasts endless options of suds (both on and off the tap) and weekly events and entertainment to appeal to everyone from 1 to 100.

The Somers Family knows the business, and that business is the Bar and Restaurant business. For half a century the Somers extended family has been serving up pints of the wet stuff to tourists, locals, hacks and hooligans under the watchful eyes of the ghosts of Beantown. From the Freedom Trail all the way down to the nooks and crannies of Cohasset Village, the family of all the Somers Pubs assure you ‘you’ll enter as a customer and leave as a friend!’ Dooley’s in Cohasset Village is”. Its cozy corners and wide swath of bar give whole families and lone wolves alike a place to belly up. Serving lunch and dinner daily, there is always something doing at Dooley’s. Head over on Bloody Sundays between 10 and 2 where you’ll find 75 cent shrimp and dollar oysters alongside a Bloody Mary bar worth salivating over. Order a vodka (or tequila if you’re feeling brassy) and choose from over a dozen different garnishes. Whether an Early Bird or a Night Owl, Dooley’s has got you covered. From 3 to 5 enjoy 10% off the regular menu. If you’re more of a dark knight, check out the late night menu, Monday through Friday from 10 to midnight. Choose from curry cheese fries, super nachos, wings, spring rolls, chips and guacamole and much more. A quick check of their events and entertainment calendar and you can be sure to find the craic. If you’ve even a drop of Irish in you (and most will claim they do), you’ll know that the halfway mark to Saint Patrick’s Day falls on the ides of September. You can be sure there’ll be a pissup at Dooley’s If traditional is more your speed, you can find an Irish Sessuin happening every Sunday from 10 to 2.

The menu holds something for every palette; whether a traditional Irish breakfast (black & white pudding anyone?), a hearty burger, a heaping helping of meat and mashed (Dooley’s House Steak or Somers Pubs Award winning steak tips), the Seafaring Packet (Fresh Atlantic Salmon, jumbo shrimp, haddock and sea scallops baked in a foil packet with white wine garlic, mushrooms, onions tomatoes and broccoli), always the requisite fish and chips; the list goes on and on from soups to salads to sandwiches and then some. Whet your appetite right at Dooley’s.

Curious as to your options on tap? Of course, the requisite black stuff (more commonly known as Guinness); on down the line you’ll find Smithwick’s (pronounced Smiddicks), Newcastle, Harp, Shipyard Summer, Wachusetts Back Shack (a porter ale) Chimay Red, Green Monster IPA, Wachusett Blueberry, Allagash White (think Blue Moon) and Drifter Pale Ale. I’m told they stock every bottled beer you could ask for, with the exception of Heineken Lite), though I didn’t put them to the test with any request because, let’s face it…the black stuff is all I need – chock full of iron and only 125 calories! Ain’t life grand? Beyond the beer selection is an extensive wine list worthy of a fine ponder. With endless Irish tchotchke on the walls for which to play I-Spy with the kids or to hold your interest perhaps because your date certainly isn’t, Mr. Dooley’s in Cohasset Village promises to feed you, slake your thirst and send you off with a desire to return again, soon.

Thanks to John Joe Somers and Michael Carlyle, Cohasset residents and all who visit now have a proper pub in which to gather, eat, drink and of course, be merry. Slainte!