As this Coronavirus pandemic became a reality, Coach Dawn & Coach Clay have had plenty of time to reflect over the last 20 year journey that got us to this month.
This is our story…
April 2020
Here is Coach Dawn's story...
A long time ago, after Dawn was a 'stay at home' mom with the four kids for two years after their youngest son Carson was born, Clay said "you have to go back to work"...at the time, Dawn was working with a Personal Trainer at Bally's for herself to get back into shape and the trainer suggested to get BACK into the gym business as her new job. The fitness industry had changed quite a bit in those 12 years since Dawn had left Bally's the first time in 1989...she needed more education!
With Clay's support, she got herself rehired at Bally's and completed her NASM CPT among many other certifications that interested her. Over those four years, she shifted from different positions starting as a Personal Trainer, Personal Training Director (Middlebury) and then General Manager of the Hamden Bally's. If anyone knows the corporate gym business, the hours are long and unforgiving...you have to love it! BUT feeling the pressure to spend more time with their growing kids and the fact that their nanny was gaining more attention from their kids than Dawn & Clay, Dawn accepted a job at North Haven Health & Racquet as the Personal Training Director. They promised less hours, more money = no brainer. As life would have it, these two promises were not fulfilled and Dawn stepped down, then away 100% with in one year.
With a bad taste in her mouth, Dawn decided to be independent and train people at their homes/outside - where ever anyone wanted to go. During this time, Dawn and another passionate PT mom she had met at NHHH started doing After School Programs at the elementary level for fitness (Mighty Mighty Fitness) in North Haven & Hamden, CT. As fate would have it, someone at Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness/Gaylord PT had heard about the ladies from Mighty Mighty Fitness and extended an offer to them to organize and run the children fitness program. They did not want to get sucked back into corporate fitness and agreed to only do part time...
Fast forward - Dawn accepted more responsibility in a full time position as the Operations/Fitness Director for Healthtrax, overseeing the kids in an umbrella situation...she loved the medical model, the partnership between Gaylord Hospital and having Physical Therapists on site. Although there was much blood, sweat and tears to run a successful gym - it wasn't her own.
Dawn had a habit of looking through rose colored glasses at life and expecting the best from people...corporate fitness = red tape = customers unhappy = staff unhappy = Dawn's hands tied = Dawn gaining 10 lbs, not seeing her children and forgetting why she got into the business in the first place!
Towards the end of this time, Dawn had been trying to get back to working with clients one on one and in groups. Being part of the "Biggest Loser" craze and holding outdoor Bootcamps at parks, tracks etc.
With some encouragement after four years at Healthtrax (2010), Clay helped Dawn look for her own space with some other trainers (ironically her original trainer from Bally's that she recruited).
The old adage if you don't do it now in your career, when are you going to do it??
Clay in the end was the only one who agreed to take the risk, sign a lease at a warehouse space in Hamden and become her partner. Multisports Academy LLC was a business name that Clayton had already had in the past from previous adventure so it made sense to use that name for their new business. TA DA!
September 10, 2010 Multisports Academy was born! Personal Training, Triathlon Coaching, Bootcamps...
FINALLY! No more corporate red tape, no more bosses to answer to (except Clay)...now Dawn doesn't mind the long hours...it's her baby, it's her passion. Who would of thought that day so long ago when Dawn went with an old boyfriend at the age of 18 into her first weight lifting gym 'Corporate Fitness', the fitness bug would grab her?!
She always felt passionate about trying to stay healthy since her mom struggled with obesity her whole childhood - maybe when a body builder complimented her big calves that first day at 'Corporate'
:)
Dawn is proud at 55 years old to keep trying to be healthy, keep learning, teach others to be healthier, be genuine, stay balanced and stay alive during these crazy times! Love to you all...xoxo