My name is Perry Wallinger, and I am the newest coach in The Spot Athletics Coaches Development Program (CDP). As a rising junior at The Ohio State, I am looking forward to my first semester as an official Exercise Science major. I am involved in the Boxing Club on campus, and I enjoy cooking and cheering on the New York Yankees and Giants. As far as career interests go, however, I am focused on strength and conditioning. That is how I found myself accepting a fall internship at The Spot, and I'm excited to get started.
When I was an incoming freshman at The Ohio State, I was a Chemistry major on the pre-med track. I quickly found that it was not the right fit for me--but not because the classes were difficult. As I worked my way through chemistry classes and participated in pre-med club meetings, I found that everyone had an intense individual focus; there was a lack of collaboration, idea sharing, and especially teamwork. As someone who learns through asking questions and hearing other’s opinions--and as a lifelong sports fan--this bothered me, and I started to rethink my path.
I initially discovered the field of strength and conditioning in high school when I started participating in workouts with the varsity softball team. As the workouts progressed and changed, I pestered the strength coach with questions, and realized there was a science and system behind the training program. As my interest increased, I began to read articles online and in magazines, and looked for parallels in classes I was taking. It was the first academic subject kept my attention, and I’ve been striving to learn ever since. When I took my first Kinesiology class at OSU after switching majors, I knew I’d made the right choice. The relationship between the human body and how it interacts with the outside world is fascinating, and to be in a field that is constantly evolving is both challenging and compelling.
During my time at The Spot, I’ll be able to take everything I'm going to learn --through reading, shadowing, mentorships, and past internships--and zero in on the why and how of training: why certain exercises and methods are used, and how to coach them effectively in order to make athletes better. Ultimately, this program is not about me; it’s about improving the performance of the athletes that train at The Spot and the coaches that coach at The Spot. I’m looking forward to meeting new athletes and learning from every coach here, especially as I progress and apply this new knowledge to future athletes, classes, and my own boxing training. I’ve heard Elitefts education director Mark Watts emphasize having an ego of the organization you train at, as opposed to an ego of self. I can say (or type) without hesitation that I believe The Spot is one of the best training facilities I can learn from, and because of J.L and Nic’s emphasis on education and commitment, there’s no doubt that I will grow and improve as a coach and a person.