06/20/2026
I don’t think I have accomplished anything worth celebrating in my career. I simply tried to do the very best I could with the little I had. This is the one accomplishment worth celebrating.
I was never the brightest or the smartest person in the room, and I often struggled in academic environments. I had to work hard to learn the basics of our profession and even harder to become good at it. What carried me through was a genuine love for this job.
Whatever I have been able to accomplish would not have been possible without decades spent reading, studying, and trying to understand why we do things the way we do.
I have always stood by the values of education and evidence-based practice in strength and conditioning. Education is what earns our profession the respect it deserves.
Too often, our profession is misunderstood, and the knowledge, expertise, and responsibility required to do this job well go unrecognized. But that story is ours to change, and it starts with education.
I hope this award inspires young students to take their future into their own hands and just go for it. Aim high. Do not settle for mediocrity. Dedicate yourself to your craft. Excellence demands commitment.
Be proud of who you are and what you do for a living. Our profession asks a lot of you, often when you are already running on empty. But it rewards you in ways that are difficult to put into words if you find the strength to endure and persevere.
Endure.
Thank you to everyone who helped me get here. Thank you to every person who trusted me enough to stand in front of a classroom and teach, and to the thousands of students and young practitioners who allowed me to challenge their thinking and, hopefully, help them grow.
Thank you to Dr.Dawes for showing me the person I wanted to become, to Dr.Alvar for welcoming me to PLNU and giving me the opportunity to teach, and to Gregory Nockleby for opening doors, extending trust, offering guidance, and giving me opportunities I did not always know I was ready for.
And to Christine, thank you for standing by my side when all I had to offer was a promise that things would get better one day.
I love you, Christine. Thank you.