Tom S.
Senior Ravens Instructor
Biography
I had a career as a competitive athlete in several sports including university football and basketball at York and Carleton. I continued to play competitive and recreational sports, then got into coaching. I coached a competitive basketball team during the 90s, and enjoyed watching several of the teenagers go on to play university ball, some winning national championships with the Carleton Ravens, and playing for Canada on the national team.
Greg Poole got me into Fitness. He and I played basketball against each other in the 60s and golf with each other more recently. About 15 years ago we designed a pre-season fitness class for golfers. Then I met Paul Youldon, a personal trainer at Carleton. Greg and Paul co-wrote the textbook for the Fitness Ontario Leadership Program (FOLP). Their FOLP textbook was the main resource for the fitness leadership course I took in 2010-11 to become qualified as a leader/instructor. Paul mentored me in practical experience after I passed the course. So did Lesley Bowlby and Tracy Gagnon. When I retired from undergraduate teaching in 2017, Athletics started scheduling me to lead the Senior Ravens Stretch & Strength classes both in-person and online.
Anyone can participate in my classes, including those who feel fragile. Senior Ravens is a Heart Fit program, recommended for people recovering from heart surgery. For quality assurance, Heart Fit people have attended my classes on occasion, and reacted very positively. In the past 2 or 3 years, I have almost always had a former heart patient or two in any class I have led.
I offer basic coaching in technique for beginners. I offer alternative ways to do many of the stretches and exercises to accommodate a wide range of fitness and experience levels. I also emphasize the mantra “make it your own workout.” While demonstrating a particular stretch or exercise as leader, I will mention alternative ways of working the same muscle group and often demonstrate them as well.
Certifications:
- Bone Fit training with Osteoporosis Canada
- Fitness Ontario Leadership Program
