In This Issue:
DEALER SPOTLIGHT: Push Pedal Pull
DYNAMIC SUPPORTS 26TH SPECIAL TACTICS COMPETITION: World's Strongest Operator Memorial Event Honors Fallen Soldier
FEATURED ARTICLE: Strength Coach to Territory Sales Manager
DEALER SPOTLIGHT
Push Pedal Pull (P3)
“Dynamic had something that no one else had.” This is how Sales Representative Ryan Schoolfield of Push Pedal Pull began explaining why he reached out to Dynamic Fitness & Strength Territory Manager Nick Weiss earlier this year about a unique project.
Dynamic Fitness & Strength is fortunate to have partnerships with exceptional fitness equipment dealers across the country. Of these, one of Dynamic’s strongest and most successful relationships is with Push Pedal Pull (P3). Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, P3 serves commercial, academic and residential customers in 11 states throughout the central United States. With over 35 years of growth and stability in the exercise equipment industry, they are one of the largest fitness equipment dealers in the country, and the largest authorized distributor of Dynamic Fitness & Strength equipment.
P3 and Dynamic have teamed up to design, build and install some amazing academic and commercial facilities, including some of the top high school weight rooms in the country. It was earlier this year that Ryan at P3 presented Dynamic with a job that was a little more out of the ordinary.
Ryan Schoolfield had made a visit to the fitness center and wellness coordinator at a leading HR and payroll software company. While viewing the outdoor jogging track at their headquarters, Ryan suggested that exercise equipment around the track would be perfect additions. All they would need is the right equipment manufacturer.
"There’s not a lot of manufacturers P3 represents that make outdoor equipment,” Ryan explained. He connected with Nick at Dynamic who went to work pulling together solutions. Ryan showed those solutions to Kyle and he loved it. Kyle then presented it to the client's leadership and they all thought it was a great idea. “It was a great win-win for everybody,” Ryan said.
“Ryan Schoolfield and the team at Push Pedal Pull were very helpful and quick to deliver our new outdoor equipment,” the company's wellness coordinator said.
Dynamic ended up manufacturing 7 unique pieces of equipment, as well as creating the frames for signs that display maps created by the payroll company's marketing team showing how the equipment can be used.
“This equipment installation required a lot of planning, details for installation, and coordination among all groups,” Nick explained. Ryan worked with a fence installation company to install the equipment. The end result is a beautiful outdoor fitness area for Paycom employees to enjoy.
“The installation of the Dynamic outdoor equipment was perfect for us, especially when returning to the office after the pandemic,” the wellness coordinator said. “The equipment is obviously high quality and the custom powder coat colors look amazing! Our employees have really enjoyed having this equipment available for their workout routines. We value the overall well-being of our employees and want to provide them with many opportunities to participate in physical activity.”
“Companies that invest in their employee’s wellness are a rarity, especially by providing new and innovative ways to generate interest and fitness within their companies,” Nick said. “They have done just that with this outdoor equipment, providing their employees with a unique outdoor space to functionally train. They were a great company and fantastic to work with.”
The success of projects like this, as well as the larger weight rooms and fitness centers that Dynamic works on with P3, is a testament to the expertise and quality of service that lies at the heart of both Dynamic Fitness & Strength and Push Pedal Pull. For Dynamic, having a trusted partner who is there to serve clients and offer them the best solutions possible is invaluable.
“Push Pedal Pull is a fantastic all-in-one company to work with,” Nick stated. “As an equipment manufacturer, it is extremely helpful to have a local hands-on source that takes care of the customer and helps from planning to installation and post-installation. We couldn’t ask for a better partner on such unique projects.”
“We’re very picky and choosy with who we carry as vendors, so we can offer a very competitive line,” Ryan said. “Dynamic offers a great product at a great value and we represent it that way.”
Ryan adds that he’s always been able to rely on Nick. “When I’m trying to find an answer, Nick is always there. Nick will respond to a text within seconds almost every time.”
Dynamic looks forward to its continued partnership with P3 and being ready to provide the best quality, best value, best support and best people as a solution for their customers.
DYNAMIC SUPPORTS 26th SPECIAL TACTICS COMPETITION
World's Strongest Operator Memorial Event Honors Fallen Soldier
On November 10 of 2021, the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico held the first power, strength and endurance competition of its kind specifically for operators (military personnel primarily trained for specific types of missions). The event was also in honor of one of their own who was killed in action in Afghanistan back in 2018.
Strength & Conditioning Coach Jordan Betz of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron reached out to Dynamic Fitness & Strength asking if we would support the event and Dynamic enthusiastically agreed. Coach Betz contacted Dynamic first because Canon AFB had purchased a number of Dynamic plate-loaded and selectorized pieces and all the squadron women and men loved the equipment. Coach Betz was also assistant to Dynamic Territory Manager Kevin “Yox” Yoxall back at Rice University when Yox coached there.
The Dylan Elchin’s World’s Strongest Operator Memorial Event was a competition open to all current special operations forces operators and featured three main events: the Deadlift for Dylan Last Man Standing Trap Bar Deadlift, the Yoke to Wheelbarrow 80 Yard Medley, the Maximum Reps Sand Bag Over Bar, and the Humvee Sprint. There were three categories to win: Heavyweight Division, Middleweight Division and Lightweight Division.
Competition was fierce and the event was a great success. The heaviest deadlift of the day was an amazing 790LBS. That feat, however, was not enough to win the day. The Heavyweight division champions were Marcus Flores and Travis MacGregor, who both walked away with Dynamic Fitness & Strength Gladiator half racks. Middleweight Division champion Connor Lee and Lightweight Division champion Kevin Fischetto both won Dynamic Badger bars. All prizes were donated by Dynamic.
Dynamic Fitness & Strength is honored to have had the opportunity to support this event and our military with grand prizes and participation prizes. We congratulate the winners and all who took part. The World’s Strongest Operator event is a fantastic way to honor Dylan Elchin, a true hero who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and country.
ABOUT DYLAN
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin served in special operations as a JTAC Qualified Combat Controller with the US Air Force in the 26th Tactical Squadron. As a special tactics combat controller, Dyan Elchin was specially trained and equipped for immediate deployment into combat operations to conduct global access, precision strike, and personnel recovery operations. He was skilled in reconnaissance operations, air traffic control and terminal attack control operations.
Dylan was a recipient of the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation with Valor, and many other medals. On November 27, 2018, Dylan was one of four U.S. service members killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.
FEATURED ARTICLE:
FROM STRENGTH COACH TO TERRITORY SALES MANAGER
Coach Steve Gortmaker
Dynamic Fitness & Strength is fortunate to have team members with over 160 years of combined coaching experience at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. These professional backgrounds bring a wealth of knowledge and perspective to our products and services.
But what is it like to transition from coach to territory sales manager?
Coach Steve Gortmaker, Dynamic Fitness & Strength’s southeast territory sales manager, has had the opportunity to gain valuable perspectives on weight rooms as an athlete, coach and now as a representative of a strength equipment manufacturer.
At the University of Oklahoma, Steve played defensive back from 1995-1998, earning Academic All-Big 12 honors and Sooner Scholar-Athlete recognition. He stayed at OU to begin a coaching career that spanned over 20 years of collegiate coaching at Florida State, Oregon, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Miss, Tennessee, Kansas and Western Kentucky.
Anyone who knows Coach Gort knows he isn’t one to brag—but he would have every right. He is CSCS-certified and a CSCCa master strength and conditioning coach who, over the course of his career, trained 15 first-round draft picks, 95 NFL draft picks, a Heisman Trophy winner, an 800-meter national champion, a world indoor 800-meter champion and multiple Olympians. He has also been part of 13 bowl games, including a 2000 national championship.
Throughout his career, Steve’s strength coaching philosophy was always focused more on the athlete and performance than on any particular lifting methodology. Although being free-weight oriented, he based his strength coaching around the athlete and what the athlete needs to perform better. As he transitioned to his role as territory sales manager at Dynamic, that approach has certainly fit with Dynamic’s core mission, and is still a driving passion of Coach Gortmaker’s.
Steve explained that, when it comes to athletic strength conditioning, “In the end, you’re training someone to be stronger and faster.”
Stepping into the role of territory manager, Steve understood right away that he would now be supporting the athletes by supporting the training programs and philosophies of his coaching clientele. Steve has found this to be an easy transition, however.
“A lot of coaches have a good idea of what they’re looking for,” Steve said. “I have had some that say, ‘I’m going to leave this to you and what you think we would need,’ and that’s when I sit down with them and say, ‘Tell me how you train, how the flow of your room goes.’” Steve explained that, many times, it comes down to where the coach wants the athletes going next after finishing at the racks. Will all athletes move to machines or dumbbells, or will they be divided into groups?
Steve can rely on his professional experience to give coaches the best equipment and layout for their program and athletes—not by telling them what he thinks they should have, but by understanding what they need to best run their training program. “My experience lets me ask the right questions.”
Steve had been on the coach’s end of facility planning as well, having been involved with planning or modifying weight rooms at three difference colleges. Of course, Steve wishes he could have relied on the advanced 3D rendering that Dynamic can provide to help plan a room. As a TM, the renders are a huge tool in helping coaches achieve their optimum weight room. “I’m able to talk to a coach and we can run through five different ideas of how they want the room set up. We can do almost anything a coach could ask for and give them a vision of it before we put a single piece of equipment in the room.”
Since stepping into this role and becoming a Dynamic team member, Steve has recognized just how much knowledge is out there in the strength and conditioning world. Coming from the collegiate coaching world, he has been impressed by how developed the high school strength training programs are. He has also noticed how much coaches are paying attention to and learning about their individual athletes. Perhaps most satisfying to him since taking on this new role, however, is seeing how passionate and dedicated youth athletes are in their training and competition.
“I was at a girls’ weightlifting competition down in south Florida. I had never seen one before and to watch these young girls—it just blew my mind to watch them work and how they’re challenging themselves against the athletes who are older and more experienced and watching how intense they are and how excited they got. It was an awesome thing.” Seeing that kind of enthusiasm and intensity at the high school level was a surprising and fun experience for Steve.
That has been his favorite part of this new role—being able to see and support young athletes as they prepare for and engage in competition. “The challenge and the competition within themselves—as well as with those around them,” Steve said.
When Coach Gortmaker is visiting coaches, he also just loves having a chance to get into the weight room. “I’ve had coaches at places I’ve visited who tell me, ‘Well, I’m in the middle of a group.’ I’ll say, ‘That’s fine with me, coach. If you don’t care, I’ll be glad to just be in the room and watch them train.’”
Even though he no longer directly guides athletes in their training, Coach Gortmaker finds a deep satisfaction knowing that he has a crucial role in giving coaches the equipment and layout they need to make their athletes stronger and faster.
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