Life's Lessons Learned through Training

I cannot begin to express how proud I am of former PowerSport Strength and Conditioning Athlete US Army Captain David Taliaferro of the New York National Guard's 133rd Quartermasters Company / U.S. Central Command Material Recovery Element based out of Ft. Hamilton, NY. David has been chosen to lead 130 soldiers who are now placed under his command during their mobilization and deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

David is a 2007 graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy where he played football and ran track. I met David while I was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the San Antonio Spurs and he was busy working as a ball boy for them. He would stand by the weightroom door as long as he possibly could watching and listening to me as I coached the players both before and after games all the while he would enquire about my training and my philosophy and soon began comparing what he saw in my coaching and training to that of what he saw in my my boss' but that right there is a whole story in itself!!! When our season ended David soon began training with my off-season groups to experience first hand my training and he blossomed into one of my most dedicated and motivated athletes, often motivating others as we ran and did drills in the 100F (37C) sun drenched San Antonio summers (where it seems that you owe the damn sun money and he's there to collect it) or at the equally as hot Olympic Gym!!

Over the years and to this very day David, his family, Sally and I have remained friends. Having proudly served in the US Army myself and Sally in the US Air Force, we cannot fully put into words how we both feel about this leader of men but David and his family know and that's all that is important.  

Sometimes, you never know the depth of your influence on those that you are blessed to coach.

Please read a little of what David says about his time training with me: "I credit Ed with intially preparing me as a high school athlete, continually as a college athlete, and ultimately as a leader of Infantry Soldiers. In my experience during multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental toughness and physical fitness go hand in hand. In the words of General David Patreaus, "fit minds equals fit bodies". Ed has been, and continues to be, an invaluable resourse to condition the mind and body. While I cannot directly say that a few of the close calls I have experienced overseas were a reflection of the training ethos Ed instilled in me, I am damn glad that I did utilize his training techniques in preparing for combat. There is no higher recommendation I could give for a strength, conditioning, and life coach."


HOOAH
 

some of the informantion for this blog post is from a press release from the Merchant Marine Academy dated 6 March 2014