We are proud to recognize Loretta Stanton, Diane Peterson and Gavin DeWitt in this Employee Spotlight. All three have made great professional strides and personal achievements over the past year which involved a lot of studying, testing and travel! Because of their hard work, we all gain, gain!
Gavin and Diane recently completed 18 months of study, involving repeated travel to the Ortho-Kinetics Institute in Dallas to further their training and certification in Ortho-Kinetics. Both passed this rigorous training and were recently certified as Ortho-Kinetics Specialist Trainers. They bring enhanced skills and methods to their training at Island Fitness, and their clients are reaping the results!
Loretta has focused her education on expanding her work with women going through surgical breast cancer treatment and has been certified through the Pink Ribbon Program. Combining this with her Ortho-Kinetics training, Loretta radiates strength and purpose and brings a survivor’s experience and empathy to her clients. Please take a few moments to read about their motivation and experience in their own words.
GAVIN
At Island Fitness It’s Personal. As a professional trainer at Island Fitness I have always strived to emphasize “personal” in my training sessions. I have often asked myself the question, “why” when I see a movement that is dysfunctional, fails to maximize performance or causes pain. This question had been frustrating to answer at times even with a decade of training experience. I began looking for ways to develop a much deeper understanding of the body; how it moves, why it moves, and how I can help it to move better.
Last year I began to travel to the Ortho-Kinetics Institute in Dallas to find answers to these questions. During my studies, I learned a more advanced assessment and programming process, refined my training techniques, and added Ortho-Metric techniques to my training sessions. This allows me to truly take clients “on their own terms” and fully custom tailor programs.
I’m excited to be able to use my newly acquired skills as a newly certified Ortho-Kinetics Specialist Trainer to help my clients move better and live better. Whether it’s time to tone up for summer, improve a 40-yard dash time, or work recover from an injury, Ortho-Kinetics training is for you!
Fun fact about Gavin: He coached competitive baseball in Kitsap County for 8 years. He was a founder of Mavericks Baseball and the Bainbridge Spartan Baseball Club.
DIANE
Ortho-Kinetics Level 2 took Personal Training to a whole new PERSONAL level. We learned more advanced assessment techniques and more detailed programming. What goes into creating a program for someone? How do you know when and what to change? These are details we focused on. We also learned Ortho Metrics, a method of using isometrics and other assisted resistance techniques to strengthen imbalances in joint movements. When the body doesn’t move optimally, performance suffers and chances of pain and injury increase.
Island Fitness members are a vibrant active group of people. They care about enjoying the same sports and activities now as they did when they were younger. Helping clients live and perform well, pain-free, and with strength, flexibility and endurance makes my days at IF very rewarding.
Fun fact about Diane: In was one of his earliest directing endeavors, Ron Howard made a movie called Cotton Candy at Diane’s high school in Dallas. It was released the fall she started at a new high school in Bellevue. She missed her friends so much and was so happy to see them in the movie. There were no such things as cell phones, Facebook, internet, or email back then. There is a pretty great shot of the 16-year old Diane making her famous “annoyed student look” to Clint Howard and Charley Martin Smith during one scene.
Loretta
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with stage IIIC breast cancer. That year was one of, if not the, most difficult times of my life. All aspects of who I was (am) were challenged: physical, mental and spiritual. In the midst of that, Island Fitness embarked on an extensive education program, Ortho-Kinetics (OK). The Ortho-Kinetics model gives Island Fitness trainers a tool to further personalize individual workouts. Since then, I have used the OK model with all of my clients.
Around this same time, I happened to start training four individuals with different types of metastatic cancer. I found myself in the position to combine my new education and my new life lessons learned to offer a unique training experience to individuals who have/had cancer. Since education is an ongoing endeavor, I decide to become certified through the Pink Ribbon Program in postoperative recovery for those going through surgical breast cancer treatment.
My goal for the future is to continue to train individuals in all stages of life: from young to young-at-heart, and from healthy to on-their-way-to-health.
Fun fact about Loretta: Loretta is board president of Bainbridge Island – Kitezh, formerly Camp Siberia. She has accompanied groups of youth to Russia several times and will take a group to Nepal this year.