This time of the year is usually exciting for me. Our athletes are home for Christmas break and we get to have a unique energy back in the room, even if only for a few weeks. Getting to catch up on their season, their semesters and just their lives in general is a privilege I always look forward to.
What a year it has been. I mean where does one start when trying to wrap up a year in a few short pages? With so many ups and downs, highs and lows, laughs and frustrations, it feels almost impossible to get it all down. So instead, we’ll try to frame it like Spotify and just wrap up the key moments.
January – March 2024: The First Quarter
Kicking things off, we made some big improvements across many back end and front end operations. Adding new equipment to update the space, implementing new software to better help people schedule their appointments and removing barriers for people curious of what we do can better try us out! Might seem small, but these really elevated everyone’s experience. So snaps for that (learned that from Izzy, roll Bruins).
We also had the opportunity to create offseason programs for the Niagara Spears players over the winter months. It was awesome to see so many up and coming players take advantage of the colder period of the year to really hammer their physicality, many of which continue to get after it today. Those dudes work hard, so big shoutout to that group of Spears guys.
Finally, our Niagara College Women’s Basketball team brought home a bronze medal home from the OCAA championships. It was a privilege to watch them play their asses off and reap the reward for all their hard work. That’s 2 medals in the past 3 years for the knights program, what a victory!
April – June 2024: The First Half
For me, I think the main highlight has to be ALL of our graduating seniors. I remember having to drive to a whole bunch of ceremonies, trying to time the “walk across the stage” so as not to miss any. Between Myles and I, there had to be over 10 or so athletes across multiple schools. By the way, they couldn’t think of putting the ceremonies on different days? Like, why would 3 schools put their convocations on the same day? Meh, we got it done. So big, big round of applause for all the graduating seniors of 2024, we couldn’t be more proud of you.
Another highlight was our Niagara Rapids teams and players. Across the board, many saw their teams rise in the ranks at the OVAs. Heck, one of our boys teams finished top 5 in the country! Hard to not be proud of that! It was a solid year of learning for everyone, ourselves included. While excited about the finish, we know the best is yet to come. Keep an eye on these groups come 2025 😉
Finally, we brought on Jordan as our resident Athletic Therapist! Pretty great addition if you ask me; she is able to help our athletes stay healthy and address any issues so they can dominate on the field, court or mats. If you haven’t met Jordan yet, don’t be afraid to take a peak down the clinic hallway and say hello. She actually decorated her office for the holidays so that was pretty cool.
July – September: We Be In Q3
I think it goes without saying that the big highlight of Q3 had to be the Niagara River Lions Basketball team winning the CEBL Championship. Like, holy shit, we finally did it. Years in the making, I feel extremely proud of the program’s efforts. The players meshed incredibly well and I feel they all believed in the same vision. They trusted themselves, trusted each other and fought hard to triumph in many close games. The championship game had us all on edge as it came to a single possession and a single bucket. King Khalil wrapped it up with a bow to bring it home.
As exciting as that was, I really reflected on the organization. We did a lot of things consistently well to get to that point. The head coach had a clear vision and the ability to communicate it transparently to everyone on the team. He also knew HOW to communicate the message to different groups, something many are challenged by. I was proud to have him as our leader once again this season; he really evolved and made the changes necessary to help take these guys to the end. Overall, this had to be my highlight to end off a terrific summer and head towards fall.
Next, start of season assessments. It was a ton of fun to be able to run a couple incredible combines for sport performance. We tested hundreds of athletes across multiple days and got a ton of valuable data (and worked with some new teams along the way, shoutout Smash Raiders). But what made it a highlight for me is what it kickstarted. Having all this data made me want a better way to present and apply it for our people. These combines essentially kicked my ass down a rabbit hole, one I’m thankful for. Since then, we’ve created some incredible sport science dashboards and are continuing to evolve them. We’re always trying to move the needle forward for performance; these data dashboards are going to continue to help us better serve our athletes. We’re asking better questions and getting closer to the mark, so stay tuned.
Finally, we brought on a FANTASTIC group of interns for our fall semester. These guys were truly hungry to learn and make an impact. From weekly meetings, to coaching on the floor, to case study defenses, this cohort gave it their all. In all my years working with interns, I feel this group did the most growing, each in their own way. Trust me, it wasn’t easy. The marking, face-palming and straight up banging your head against a wall steps were just par for the course with this group. But, after all was said and done, they turned out great.
The biggest thing was the impression they left on everyone. To have our people miss them, ask about them and just have conversations about them means that they did the most important thing in my view: they connected. They deserve to be recognized for a tremendous semester, I will miss them all.
October – December: The Final Chapter Is Q4
I find it hard to highlight a period where there was just so much “new”. New staff, new members, new PR’s, new equipment. Like, just so much exciting “new”! I’ll get to each of these points, but I really want to highlight our people. The lifeblood of IPC. They deserve to be recognized (snaps again Izzy).
I was chatting with Myles the other day about how refreshing it is to have some incredible people who truly believe in the art of training. These are folks who WANT to be here rather than feel they need to in order to check a box. Yes, sometimes we have the odd few like that. Not many mind you, but a few. So without further adieu, I wish to recognize some incredible new people.
By the way, these are people who inspire from across the year, not just the past few months. People like Marcy, Andrew, Andrew (debating which one is #1 and #2), Rachel, Lukas, Mary, Danielle and Amit. What a bunch of amazing people. What I absolutely LOVE are their attitudes. Like, what breath of fucking fresh air. They are all ALWAYS in a positive mindset, never take themselves too seriously, give their best efforts and can have fun while working hard. I genuinely couldn’t ask for more out of any of them. They are all just great people and it has been a privilege to work with them. I would encourage our athletes to look to them as examples of what is possible with training as it pertains to attitude. So show those folks some love, they be the real MVPs.
Next, new staff! We’ve welcomed Lara, Aidan and Scotty to the team! I mean it goes without saying that we’re only as good as those we surround ourselves with and I truly feel we have an incredible team. Not only do I feel we have THE BEST performance staff, admin AND custodian (Scotty is a silent killer who works his butt off after hours), but I feel what makes us great is our ability to work together. It makes this job fun; I get to go to a gym in sweatpants and hang out with people I enjoy being around. Yes, we are able to collaborate, debate and actually get the nitty gritty stuff done, but we’re also able to not take things too seriously. We’re able to be our authentic selves and crack jokes and laugh. For that, I am grateful and excited for the months ahead.
In Closing
It’s been a memorable year folks. One of personal triumphs, struggles, but always growth. I couldn’t be prouder of our team, our amazing athletes, our fantastic members and just our supporters as a whole. Y’all make IPC the BEST place to train in Niagara. It’s your work, your efforts that have set the foundation for those to come. It’s those who call IPC home that create the legacy of excellence. Our culture is unmatched because of all of you. So thank you for allowing me (and my team) the privilege of being a part of your journey.
2024 was an incredible year. 2025 has its work cut out for it to raise that bar. But we’re here for it. Let’s get to work.
Matrixx
