"Helping others succeed and come closer to their goals gives you a type of joy that can be felt."
ATH-North Houston Athletic Performance Director Trey Job worked in different areas of strength and conditioning before landing at ATH. From college sports to working with professional athletes, Trey has a unique outlook on the world he calls home.
Let's go back to the start! Trey where did you go to school?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at Georgia Southern University where I shadowed and gained experience with the strength and conditioning staff. There's a lot of growth throughout college and I'm very thankful that the staff gave me a chance to learn and pursue a career that I love. After Georgia Southern, I spent a brief period of time at Kennesaw State before taking another position at Southeastern Louisiana where I was a graduate assistant for a semester and assistant strength and conditioning coach for three years.
Can you tell us what your motivation was in becoming a coach at ATH?
ATH has always possessed a lot of potential and has grown a lot since I started in May 2016. I think the best thing about ATH is the emphasis on personal growth and coaching growth. A pathway is highlighted for coaches where we can gain experience, education, and develop coaching and leadership skills practically. This pathway for coaching and the personal skills that I am learning at ATH sets them apart from everyone else.
"I’ve been very fortunate to experience helping others and it’s one of the reasons why I love this job."
Since starting your own pathway in the world of strength and conditioning what was the biggest game changer in your career?
Neil McMillan, Director of Training Systems and Debra Solberg, Member Services Director gave me the support I needed to be confident and grow within ATH, and Micheál Cahill, VP of Performance and Sports Science created incredible growth opportunities at ATH through our education partnership with Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. Neil is such a great leader and person, I’ll always be grateful for his enthusiasm and conscientiousness. Debra is so level-headed and patient, she is very calming and helped me to really think things through. Micheál really embraced my strengths and has always pushed me to be better. Those three took ATH from being a “good job” to an incredible experience with major opportunities. I’ve learned so much from them that extends beyond my career and into life itself.
As a coach, it is important to connect with your athletes. Can you recall a time you made an impact on an athlete? How did it make you feel?
I’ve been very fortunate to experience helping others and it’s one of the reasons why I love this job. Being able to help others succeed and come closer to their goals gives you a type of joy that can be felt. Coaching in college, I was very blessed to work with many talented athletes, and some have continued playing professionally in their sport. One program, in particular, was the golf team at Southeastern Louisiana. Those guys were motivated, truly enjoyed working hard and were obsessed with progressing as athletes every year. At one point, six of those guys were playing professionally across four different continents. I still stay in touch with some of my athletes from Southeastern and it brings me a lot of happiness to catch up with them and see how they’ve progressed as men and women, even if they’re past their athletic careers. One of the most exciting and rewarding text messages I get is “Hey I’ll be in Houston for a few days, can I stop by and say hello?”
I’ve had similar opportunities at ATH to work with talented athletes, but I’ve also been very fortunate to work with incredible coaches. We’ve been able to promote coaches within ATH from intern to coach and coach to senior coach at North Houston, Katy and in other roles outside of ATH. The opportunity to help coaches develop and continue striving for their full potential is incredible and one I’m very thankful for. It’s very rewarding to see those coaches influence other coaches and athletes and continue to pay it forward.
"Approaching life as a journey and always looking forward to the potential that lies ahead while enjoying life in the moment is very important."
You talk about impacting athletes and how that’s the main goal as a coach. But who has impacted your coaching career?
A lot of people come to mind, I've been very fortunate to have met some really good people throughout my coaching career. Prior to ATH, Brandon Howard who was the head strength and conditioning coach at Southeastern Louisiana University and Tom Melton who was the head strength and conditioning coach at Georgia Southern University gave me my first opportunity to start learning and gaining experience as a collegiate strength coach. Even before that, Clay Livingston, my high school strength and conditioning coach, sparked my passion for this field. Since coming to ATH, Trevor Cottrell, who previously worked with Memorial Hermann and consulted with ATH, was a critical mentor during a very tough time of my life. Trevor loves strength and conditioning and is a tremendous leader. He challenges me intellectually and has always been a positive influence. If I can be anyone when I grow up, it’s Trevor Cottrell.
Trey, you were very active in strength and conditioning at the Next Level. What is one piece of advice you would give athletes trying to excel to that level?
MOTIVATION!
I believe it's really important to remember that you have the ability to achieve a lot more than you think you're capable of. If you really want to play at the college or professional levels, there's definitely opportunity but most people aren't willing to outwork or hold themselves accountable to do the work. It's really easy and simple to lean on other people for motivation but if you can't motivate yourself to pursue your dreams, you need to reconsider what's most important.
Tell us, how do you spend your time when you aren't at the training facility?
Right now, most of my time is spent working on postgraduate research on shoulder strength through Auckland University of Technology via ATH. It’s been a great learning experience for me to continue education focused on strength training and will ultimately transition to improvements in throwing velocity for baseball pitchers. I grew up playing baseball and love the sport so placing myself in a position to give back to baseball is very special to me. Since pursuing the strength and conditioning industry as a career I’ve been interested in creating training programs and trying to enhance performance. Bringing the two together is really exciting because it opens up tons of opportunities for my career in the future.
What is a quote or phrase you live by that has stuck with you during your journey?
I don't have a quote or phrase in particular but one of my favorite authors is Paul Coehlo. The Alchemist is one of my favorite books and I usually read it once each year. It's so simple but so pure, and has a great message about following your dreams. Working in the strength and conditioning industry can be very challenging and your commitment is tested almost every day. Approaching life as a journey and always looking forward to the potential that lies ahead while enjoying life in the moment is very important. I don't ever want to feel like I've secured a good job that makes me happy and complacent. It's important in life to be challenged and to be in pursuit of something greater.
Thank you Trey for your time and dedication to ATH and helping other athletes succeed in and out of the weight room. Are you a Student ATHlete or Next Level ATHlete and want to train with Coach Trey at ATH-North Houston?
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