abcdef As my coach and boyfriend, Tod does an awesome job of training me. He trained me for powerlifting from 1996-1999, and he now trains me for the sport of Strongman. He uses ideas he learned 10 years ago along with things he learned last week to make my efforts as productive as possible. He is always open to new ideas and feels that there is always something new to be learned as far as training goes. He enjoys training others who have that same fire for training hard and really want to excel. I wouldn't be where I am today without Tod as my coach. He taught me how to squat, bench press and deadlift properly, and has brought me from a 95 lb bench press to a 308 bench press in competition. He has helped me reach my 1201 total at the '99 APF Sr. National Powerlifting Championships. Tod only wants to see me do my best and enjoy the competing. "If it's not fun, it's not worth it." he says. That's why we always try to keep a good attitude in the gym.

abcdef When it comes to the workout, Tod is all business. There's no chit chat or joking around during the workout, and he's not afraid to let us know when it's time to shut up and work out. It may sound brutal, but you don't become a champion by having someone hold your hand through the workout. The workouts are always intense and require a certain amount of focus. That's the only way to tear it up, grow, and get stronger. When you see Tod train, you'd swear he had a meet coming up. This guy is intense. He's not afraid to take his body to the limit and test his strength. Tod is very motivational to train with, and I've yet to meet someone who can match his intensity in the gym.

abcdefTod doesn't just enjoy lifting weights, he loves strongman. He has trained with dozens of people over the years, but the truely hardcore always come back for more. That's because he doesn't go to the gym for a half-assed workout. If the intensity isn't brewing that day, then it's time for a day off. Then we just come back and hit the next workout hard and heavy. Tod's crazy in the gym, but smart at the same time. He knows that the key to longevity in the sport is all about not getting injured. There's a fine line between pushing yourself to the limit to get your best lifts and pushing too far and getting hurt. Tod has a good sense of where to draw that line though, and has helped me and many others achieve our best lifts without serious injury.

abcdefTod is currently interested in further promoting strongman in Oregon by supporting the NASS (North American Strongman Society). He specifically supports the NASS by directing people to NASS contests and by sanctioning his own contests NASS. We both believe that NASS is a great organization to promote amateur strongman. The amateur lifters are the bread and butter of strongman. There are only a few pros in the country, whereas there are hundreds of amateurs. The amateur side of the sport is really growing, and we want to be a part of that growth here in the northwest.

abcdefTod relies on positive thinking and goal setting for his own success and the success of the people he trains. The goal setting really comes first, and positive thinking is the means to the end. He knows that we all have bad days or other setbacks, but the key to reaching your goals is to be able to turn negative things into learning experiences, and be able to get something positive from them. Tod realizes that his friends will come into the gym with a bad attitude sometimes, and if they can blow it off, so can he. But if one of the workout partners continually comes in with a poor attitude and has nothing good to say, Tod will pay him no mind and do his best to get him out of there. I've seen him walk away from people who are in the middle of their "woe is me" conversations. " Life is too short for me to listen to the negative" he says. Even good friends of his have been shunned when they get to be a downer. He doesn't even let me get too negative. I suppose that's good, though, it keeps me on the right track.

abcdefAs far as goal setting goes, Tod believes it is important for all of the people he trains to be able to listen to him and to themselves when setting goals in the gym. Tod has 14 years competitive experience as a powerlifter and has a lot of advice to offer. But he expects the people he trains to listen to their own bodies as well, when preparing for a competition. He wants us to push ourselves to the limit so that we can grow stronger and see what we are capable of in the gym, but on the other hand there is the issue of safety. Like I mentioned before, Tod sees safe lifting practices as the key to enduring in the sport. So far we have a pretty good track record, though, and there have been relatively few injuries amongst our group. At least, nothing we can't handle.

abcdefFuture plans for Tod include nothing less than continually tearing it up in the gym week after week. He has the spirit of a true athlete. I know that Tod will always be involved with the sport that he fell in love with years ago. "It's great to see new faces in the sport" he says, "but you have to enjoy the training. You have to love the months (and years) of hard training that go into what you're working towards: the personal record. It's not about titles or placings. It's all about challenging yourself to the most difficult opponent you'll ever face:  yourself."

abcdefTod is truly an inspirational individual. He trains with a fire that you don't often see, and inspires others to follow his lead. I feel very lucky to have him as my coach and boyfriend. We're looking forward to many years of hard training and good lifting, because "This is only the beginning."