Garrettsville – Meet Edie. She works at the Garrettsville division of the Y, and while you may never have taken a class with her, you might still remember her from somewhere. That’s because before she ever considered helping with a spin class, Edie was a star track and field athlete at James A. Garfield High School. Having made it to state all four years of her high school career, and having been named a high school All-American athlete for three in her event, shotput, Edie has gotten her fair share of publicity.
After her illustrious high school career, Edie was offered a veritable pick of the crop with her scholarship options; everywhere from University of Miami to Kent State wanted Edie on their track and field team. However, as with everything else in life, family comes first, and Edie decided that she needed to stay and focus on hers, rather than attending college. Edie told me “I never liked high school; I didn’t like learning about things which didn’t interest me. And even though there’s stuff like Kinesiology or Physical Education, there isn’t a class to be a Personal Trainer.”
After working some odd jobs around town, Edie was turned on to a job by her old coach, Jim Pfleger, one that might appeal to her superstar skills. That job was as a member services representative at the Y, and for Edie, this position was only the beginning.
Not long after interviewing at the Y, she was brought on to help with various classes, ranging from line dancing to basketball, immediately enjoying the benefits she brought others, and the benefits teaching others brought her. “Helping out with the older members taught me a lot too [..] It showed me a different side to working out.”
Edie quickly realized that she truly enjoyed helping these people find their fitness potential, no matter the age or physical capabilities. This led Edie to start pursuing her physical trainer certification outside of her work at the Y.
Since obtaining her official physical trainer license, Edie has been working on more and more activities within the Y’s walls. Though she “enjoys helping out with other classes”, as her manager and the operations director Kim Curry puts it, Edie’s focus is on one important aspect of her employment: her brand new class, which she calls “Triple Threat”.
“The ‘triple’ part kind of scares people”, Edie says with a laugh about some of the things she has heard of her new class. She explains that the name comes from the important aspects of the workout routine: strength, cardio, and core. “I’ll start with a few laps to get that out of the way”, says Edie, “then we’ll head to the tires which works everything, then we’ll hit the weights, and finish off with core.” Kim adds that it’s basically as close as you can get to a personal trainer routine, but in a group setting. “The hardest part is pushing yourself.” says Edie, citing that as a key reason to bring a friend.
At the Y, your first class with Edie is free, meaning that you can always bring a friend in to try things out. “When I was in high school, I would love working out with a friend because we’d push each other… It’s always more fun” she says, adding that most of her workouts do best in pairs. Plus, with the small group atmosphere, each exercise can be scaled up or down, meaning every person can attend and get a killer workout at the same time.
From teaching tire-flipping techniques to how to turn on the treadmill, Kim and Edie are perfect examples of the type of experience you can expect from the Y: welcoming, flexible, and compassionate. These women are determined to help you get the best workout possible, as inexpensively as possible. “That’s the ‘wellness’ end of our business”, says Kim, after telling me the price of admission and membership—$25 a month, which includes use of any and every machine, numerous group classes, along with visits to the pool in Geauga.
As for Edie, going from a star athlete to floating around until finding her place at the Y, to realizing her potential as a personal trainer, she feels she is right at home. With her experience in weight lifting and working in a team—not to mention her connections throughout both the weightlifting community and the community at home—Edie offers an invaluable resource to those looking for just a bit more out of their weekly exercise routine. As Edie puts it, “I really feel like I’ve found my niche.”
Edie runs “Triple Threat” every Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm to 7pm. and it is FREE for first timers! Bring all the friends you can!
Edie is available for private personal training consultations and routines year-round. The YMCA is located at 8233 Park Ave and is open Monday-Thursday from 7am-12pm & 5pm-9pm, Friday from 7am-12pm, and Saturday 8am-12pm, with numerous classes available for members of all ages. The party room and gym are also available for rent, for $15/hr and $40/hr, respectively.
