"I'm excited for the opportunity to start a fitness camp for youth. The number of overweight and obese children is climbing at an alarming rate; there is no better time to start this camp than now. I hope that no matter how much or little physical ability your child/children have, they come out and have fun with us! We're all in this together!"
Taylor has a passion
for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle, but he also understands the
frustration some overweight or obese youth have, as he was once classified as
obese. Regardless of his weight, Taylor participated
in hockey and soccer; playing both these sports during his youth and in high
school and two years of collegiate rugby at Acadia University in Wolfville, NS,
but there came a time he struggled and cried because he "just couldn't do
it anymore." One day, Taylor woke up with a change in attitude and decided
it was time to make other changes in his life as well. He changed what and
how much he ate. He started exercising,
but above all else, the biggest change he made was his attitude. With
time and a lot of hard work and determination, the weight started to come off.
By his senior year in high school, he had reached a healthy weight. It is
because of his own experiences and struggles that Taylor pursued a career in
the health and fitness industry. Taylor did his undergrad at Acadia University in Wolfville, NS where he majored in Sports Medicine. After completing his degree, he began working at a wellness clinic where he primarily worked with obese individuals who needed to change their lifestyle. He also continued his passion for soccer by coaching both boys and girls (aged 4-14) for 5 years.
In 2008, Taylor moved to the United States from Canada and began working at the Red Cross as an instructor. He recently completed his Masters in Education from the University of Southern California, and will begin teaching Sports Medicine at Payette River Regional Technical Academy/Emmett High in the fall. Taylor is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Youth Fitness Specialist and is also a certified coach through the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Growing up in California, Elaine has many fond memories of her dad taking her to the nearby elementary school to practice layups, doing dribbling drills in the hopskotch, teaching her how not to "throw like a girl", and running around the track. Elaine started playing city league soccer at young age and as her skills improved through the years, she was asked to play on many traveling teams. In Junior High, Elaine juggled playing city league soccer and school basketball, often times running from one practice to the next. She continued her athletic career in high school by playing volleyball, basketball, softball, and soccer. When she wasn't "in season", she was training for the next season coming up. The summer before Elaine's Senior year, she was asked to play on a soccer traveling team that was going to Belgium to play in a week long tournament. She got to enjoy the sights of Belgium and play against international competition, Elaine says that experience was one that she'll never forget.A knee injury, after her senior year in high school, led to Elaine putting her soccer career on hold, but not forgotten; however it was the caring attitude her physical therapist and PT assistants displayed toward her that she discovered her passion for helping others. While attending BYU-Idaho, Elaine studied Sociology and participated in intramural sports-keeping both her passions alive. It was when she moved to Boise that Elaine felt that Sociology was no longer her calling. She took a few years to "find herself" and eventually decided to attend Milan Institute where she learned all the necessary skills to help begin her career as a licensed massage therapist. Elaine works with many athletes in the Treasure Valley by helping them recover from injuries, increasing their flexibility, and increasing their range of motion.
In addition to helping athletes in the area, Elaine has worked with some friends to help get them in shape and motivate and challenge them to reach their goals. Elaine looks forward to returning to school in the Fall of 2013 to study Kinesiology and Athletic Training.
