
My love for fitness and training started at the early age of eight in Seattle, Washington when my mother enrolled me in C.A.Y.A. (Central Area Youth Association). I continued in C.A.Y.A. for many years playing several positions including: center, linebacker, defensive back, running back and, my favorite, wide receiver. During middle school, I not only represented Kirkland Seventh Day Adventist School in the city youth basketball league but also starred on the school football and track and field teams (and still hold school records in the long jump, 100m, 200m and mile run). Kirkland sponsored many citywide track meets and in the three years I competed I finished first place 17 times and second place 8 times.
After middle school, I attended Roosevelt High School and was the track and football co-captain my junior and senior year. The Varsity Sprint Coach, Rocky Adams, taught me the fine mechanics of sprinting and I ran the 100m, 200m, 4x4 relay and also led my team in the long and triple jump. It was because of these accomplishments I made All- City in track two years in a row. Even though I had learned and enjoyed so much about track, football was and is my first love. A member of the Varsity Football team all four years of high school, I played wide receiver and defensive back my freshman and sophomore years and running back, defensive back and handled all kick-off and punt returns for the team my junior and senior years. During my senior year, I was pursued by Brigham Young University and Texas A&M, among others, for football and track. My dream was to play football and run track for the University of Washington (my mother being an alumni) but when an unforeseen injury ended that dream another was born, to coach and train others and share my love and knowledge of fitness. I was asked to coach the freshman high school football team and with the assistance of two other coaches we only lost one game that season. Rocky Adams noticed the progress I was making with the freshman team and asked me to assist him in coaching the men's and women's varsity sprint teams. The four years that followed were very successful.
While coaching the track teams I was also working full time with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. I worked my way up the ladder at the Seattle property and eventually transferred to the Four Seasons Resort Santa Barbara looking to obtain a position as Spa Director. After eight months the position for Health Club Manager was offered to me. After that I assisted in renovating the hotel spa into a full service facility and promoted to Assistant Spa Director and focused on health and fitness.
I am a certified personal trainer through International Sports Science Association and National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am also certified in First Aid and CPR and have recently finished my third World Fitness Convention.
To summarize, I'll use a line from the IDEA Corporation...."Inspire the World to Fitness"... www.marvindove.com