Hey everyone!
Thanks for taking the time to check out Wild Wind Fitness.
Wild Wind was born from the union of two passions of mine….physical fitness training and back country hiking. After I retired from the Provincial government in 2015, developing these passions into a business seemed like the perfect next chapter for my life. I may not make a ton of money doing this, but man am I ever living the dream!
My primary goal is a simple one…..to help anyone improve their health, fitness or sport performance, using a wide and flexible range of training strategies. My secondary goal is to introduce, train, teach, support or guide anyone wishing to embrace the joy and beauty of back country hiking, specifically the Mantario Trail.
So if you are an adult simply wishing to improve your health and fitness, or a youth or adult wishing to improve your performance in your chosen sport, or you have simply dreamed of hiking the Mantario Trail, then Wild Wind is here to partner with you to help you achieve whatever your goals are.
My love of sport, competition and physical fitness goes back to my North End childhood. I played organized hockey, soccer, baseball and football as a youth, and then excelled as a high school athlete in football and track and field (shot put). I played two seasons with the U of M Bisons football team, and as an adult I played rugby and I was a competitive powerlifter for a number of years.
As my children Tamra and Bryce got older, and my arthritic and damaged knees started to fail me, I turned my attention to coaching. I became a NCCP Level 2 certified coach in football, and a NCCP Level 1 certified coach in basketball and coached both community and high school football and basketball for many years. I was a guest coach for Football Manitoba with the provincial team programs and with a number of their developmental camps. Along the way my wife Caroline and I coached many of our kid’s teams and we were proud of Tamra for playing with the U of W women’s soccer team in their inaugural season ( her last year of university), and of Bryce when he played on Team Manitoba’s Under 18 Football Team.
Those wonky knees of mine caused me much grief for much of my adult life and really hindered my ability to stay active and healthy, however two full knee replacement surgeries in 2014 gave me a new lease on life and I was able to resume the physically active lifestyle I so enjoy. I can squat well over 300 pounds, I have snowshoed across a frozen Lake Winnipeg, I participate in an annual 10k run to raise money for wounded Afghanistan veterans and of course I go on multiple night hikes whenever I can, all of this on two replaced knees and at 57 years of age!
In terms of my professional credentials, I have been certified by the Manitoba Fitness Council as a Fitness Leader, specializing in the areas of Resistance Training and Individual Training. One of the prerequisites to obtaining this certification is securing professional liability insurance (which I have) and to be certified in Standard First Aid and CPR/AED (which I am). I have also recently become certified in Advanced Wilderness First Aid. And finally, I have Criminal Record and Child Abuse Registry checks that I can produce upon request.
My backcountry hiking experiences go back well over a decade. I have hiked almost every backcountry trail in Manitoba and have started turning my attention to the incredible back country wilderness hiking along Lake Superior. My long time love however, remains the Mantario Trail, which I believe is one of the most beautiful and challenging wilderness hikes in Canada. I have already hiked the full 64 kilometre length of the trail three times this year, including my having completed the trail in under 30 total hours (one night) in August. I have snowshoed the trail in the dead of winter and have spent winter nights camped out on Mantario. My backcountry knowledge has been self taught through experience and research and I have successfully and safely employed this knowledge on countless hikes. It is worth noting that I hike alone!
(Do you have a dream to perhaps get married on the Mantario or anywhere else in the wilderness? If so, note that I am a registered Marriage Commissioner for the Province of Manitoba and would love to marry a couple on one of the many incredible outlooks on Mantario!)
In terms of my training approach and philosophy, the first thing you need to know is that I am not a screamer! Regardless of what your training needs are, my belief is that I need to put you in a position to have success….meaning that whatever I develop for you will build upon your strengths, while practically addressing your deficits or areas needing improvement. I will come to your home, meet you in the park, or work with you in a gym. Your age and previous training experience matter not to me. I will be non judgemental, supportive, motivating and hopefully inspiring. Above all I will always be a teacher and explain what we are doing and why. I will push you out of your comfort zone when safe to do so, and I will always exhort you to be the best you can be.
The last thing you need to know is that we are all unique and special in our own ways, and whatever services I offer you will be uniquely designed for you and not be cut from the same cloth as everyone else. Perhaps all you need is some consultation and a fitness plan developed specifically for you. Perhaps all you need is some instruction in all the equipment in your gym, or perhaps all you need is some nutritional information and education. Finally, you may be someone who would benefit from personal training during your workout sessions or you would benefit or prefer working in a group/class setting. Just know that I will not push services on anyone who will not benefit from them or who simply does not desire them.
So that’s it. If you think that Wild Wind could perhaps bring some value to your life then reach out to me at the contact information listed on this page. We can meet for coffee and have a no cost, no obligation discussion about your goals and how Wild Wind can help you get there.
Be well.
Wild Wind Fitness 