Meet the Newest OPP Coach - Matt Baumeister

One of the things that has been fun as we continue to move forward with Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. has been all the changes that have happened in the past year.

We've moved into a new facility. And we outfitted it with the best equipment anywhere in town. Next we did some touch ups to freshen up the look of the place and make it a little more comfortable for everyone. Lastly we've looked to bring on some new talent that can help us continue to help you get better results in less time.

But we're not looking to bringing just anyone on board. We want people that meet very specific criteria. They need to be great people, who live an active life already and have a desire to continue learning and getting better.

With this mind we've recently added Matt Baumeister to the OPP team. Matt is a recent kinesiology graduate from UBCO and is certified through the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists. But besides his degree and credential Matt is also an accomplished athlete specifically in triathlon.

Recently we did our weekly sand dunes workout on a Saturday morning. If you've joined us before you'll know what this workout it all about. If not let me explain.

This dune can take anywhere from 5 minutes plus for a newbie to climb. Some first timers don't make it up. And the all-time fastest climb ever was 3:12. I thought I might have a shot at this time as I put up a 3:15 this year but now this dream is crushed.

You see Matt climbed this dune in 2:50!

For the longest time I was trying to go under 4 minutes. And when I did I felt like Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile. Now sub 4 minute climbs are a regularity.

And seeing Matt going under 3 makes me believe there are better days ahead.

Anyways enough about sand dunes. Let me step aside and let Matt introduce himself.

Hi there everybody! By now some of you may have seen a new face hanging around the facility. I thought now would be an appropriate time to introduce myself. My name is Matt Baumeister and I am OPP’s newest recruit! Let me tell you a little about myself. I recently graduated from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan with a degree in Kinesiology. My primary stream of focus was Clinical Exercise Physiology. In addition to being a certified personal trainer, I am also a registered kinesiologist. I am currently pursuing certification as a certified exercise physiologist, and one day hope to complete my master’s degree in Physical Therapy. My sporting background is rooted primarily in endurance sports such as running, cycling and triathlon. After swimming competitively for almost a decade, I was introduced to triathlon in my senior year of high school and have been hooked ever since! After a brief season as a junior pro, I turned my focus to the half ironman distance (2 km swim, 90 km bike, 21 km run). A recent member of the provincial long course triathlon team, I currently spend my time engaging in all things endurance related! Furthermore, I am a huge cycling fanatic, and will admit that I have been getting up at 5 A.M. to watch the live broadcasts of the Tour de France! You may glimpse me at the gym surreptitiously checking the computer for the latest stage results and to see how Victoria’s Ryder Hesjedal is doing. With all that in mind, I am really looking forward to meeting all of you, and helping you to achieve your goals! See you around the gym, Matt Welcome aboard Matt. We look forward to getting to know you and to chasing you up the sand dunes.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Okanagan Peak Performance Inc.