About me
I train to live, I don’t live to train.
Well-rounded. Renaissance man. Perpetually distracted. All potential descriptors for who I am, but “gym rat” certainly doesn’t rank. Sure, I like to work out, and I take great joy in the progress I’ve made and the sports I’ve competed in. It’s certainly not all I do; in fact I lack the ability to focus on one thing for too long. I want to experience it all!
That’s the reason I am bilingual, a musician, have a degree in literature, and love science and math.
But back to fitness …
Let’s start from the start
I was lucky enough to be born into a family of athletes. My father played semi-professional Canadian football. My mother was a national-level swimmer. My grandfather was an Olympic decathlete and an national team track coach. All of these influences helped fuel my passion for sport and training, despite having pretty average athletic ability. What set me apart was my work ethic.
By high school I had settled into my major sports: football in the fall, skiing in the winter, rugby in the spring, and triathlons in the summer. I learned quickly that to be prepared for four very different activities I needed to train in very different ways. I finished high school as the captain of our championship football and rugby teams, club champion of our local ski club, and top finisher in my age group of the triathlon series I competed in. While I’m bragging I was also Athlete of the Year of our school.
From there I was recruited to the Western University football team, and continued to play club-level rugby. I also began to coach ski racing and fell in love with teaching others.
Why should I study Kinesiology? I’m going to be a French teacher!
My university education began with a major in Kinesiology with a minor in French. In my 3rd year, the content in the Kinesiology program seemed less and less applicable to my interests, and I chose to switch to a major in French literature. From a very math an science kid in high school, by the time I graduated from Western the subjects I would have been teaching were French and English.
During that time I also left the football team and joined some friends in starting a band. We ended up releasing an album, music video, played over 100 shows in Southern Ontario and won Rock Band of the Year at the London (ON) Music Awards.
My switch to an arts degree also taught me some tremendous critical reading skills that help me to this day. I don’t regret it, but life has a way of bringing you back to your roots …
Don’t mind the typo.
If I’m spending all my free time on this stuff, I might as well get paid for it.
After moving to Ottawa with my (now) wife, I worked my way to a management position in a retail store/storage facility but wasn’t happy. I was still training and spending loads of time researching workouts, diet, and lifestyle; why not get paid for my knowledge and experience?
I leveraged my management experience into running a small gym downtown while doing some personal training on the side. From there I took a leap to work for a startup that combined obstacle racing with interactive quizzes (body and mind? Right up my alley). When they downsized, I found a gym that did an incredible job teaching and guiding me to become a better trainer. They unfortunately closed at the end of 2020 due to COVID, but it provided an opportunity to retain my clients and open my own business!
And that brings us to now.
Since then I’ve continued to educate myself in many ways and never stopped training. Our family has grown to include an energetic little boy that keeps me on my toes and has taught me more than I ever expected about myself.
I hope my varied experience and curiosity can help get you to where you want to be!
Oh, and I never stopped coaching alpine skiing.
I’m currently the head coach of the uOttawa Gee-Gees Alpine Ski Team, and I’ve been lucky enough to help build the program from a few athletes to a strong and competitive team! It certainly keeps me busy in the winter, and the two jobs compliment each other well.