Remembering a Close Friend and Mentor

I’d like to break from the trainer talk for a moment today and share with you all a piece of me that has shaped who I am today as a person and a trainer. A few years back, I decided to turn my passion for training into a career. I was very fortunate to become aligned with some amazing mentors within the industry who taught me things from philosophy, to programming, their knowledge from personal experiences, etc. The first to inspire me tremendously was Martin Rooney. A few months later, another very special person was a gifted to my life, Jason Hadeed.

Jason, 33 years young, lived in Montgomery County and was a very accomplished strength coach in the industry who owned Elite Athlete Training Systems (also known as E.A.T.S.). Outside of training, Jason’s Number One were his two little boys, Nik and Alex. Among many other hats he wore, Jason was an amazing man, father, trainer, mentor and friend.

Unfortunately, Jason was taken much too soon and I share him with you all today, because February 8th marks two years since his tragic and untimely death.

I met Jason mid summer of 2007 at the beach. It was early on in my training career and I was very impressed with him as both a person as well as his training resume. We had an instant connection and a very important friendship that grew quickly from it. Jason was both a mentor and close friend to me.

Anyone who knew Jason and who worked with him said the same positive things about him. He made significant differences in the lives he touched and was far more than just a trainer/coach to his athletes, he was a big brother, a friend and a role model/mentor. He held his guys and gals up to great standards. At the funeral service, they paralleled Jason to the candle light. Jason was a guiding light to many and his profession was to help people shine. That moved me and I took it upon myself to continue that piece of him. It has always been my passion and ambition to work with clients of athletic ability and to work with guys and gals of all ages who have “the want to” — regardless of their talent, they want to be in the session, they want to work hard each time to achieve better results, they want to push new limits to make themselves better in and out of the gym. I admired how far Jason had come in his career and I admired the positive effects he had on people. I promised myself that I would also strive to carry on his legacy for him and for me.

Jason taught me a lot in the first year of my career as a trainer. Although I only had his physical presence for a short 7 months, the many conversations shared and his gifts stay with me each day.

I believe Jason passed the torch. Not only to me, but to his employees at E.A.T.S, his boys, his athletes and anybody else who he made an impact on. He inspired me tremendously and continues to do so. I often think, man, if Jason could see me now and I’m confident he does.

I miss Jason very much and will continue to keep him in the heart of my training. Be sure to hug and kiss your loved ones if you are still reading this, for tomorrow is never promised.

I look forward to reconnecting with you in the next life J.

Hugs, Al

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