Jeremiah first reached out to us looking for a coaching position at Dogtown in 2017. In the hundreds of resumes we have seen, he was one of the very few that actually matched what was on paper. Over the past year, he has proven to be an honest, resourceful, motivated and communicative coach. When he was considering joining the Fire Academy, he wanted to make sure he was not damaging his position at DT.
When Jeremiah graduated, we had hoped that we would get him to coach for some time before someone snatched him up, but anybody that knows him, recognized that was wishful thinking. The bottom line is we are losing a star but the world is gaining a human that is going to save lives. I mean look at the kid. He was born to be a firefighter!
Jeremiah, you will always have a home at DT, homie.
Thanks,
Coach Dusty
Q: What things did you get to cross off your LA bucket list while you lived here?
A: Oh man, so many things but also not enough. LA is kind of one of those places that you could spend a lifetime here and not do everything. That being said, I usually tried to do at least one truly memorable outing per weekend. So many local food joints, surfing, hiking, museums, Catalina, Beach Volleyball, Hollywood Bowl concerts, and more than my fair share of touristy stuff.
Q: What will you miss the most about LA (besides DogTown obviously)?
A: DogTown. But besides DogTown definitely the friends that I have made here and the fact that there is always something going on in LA.
Q: How did CrossFit get you ready for that crazy intense academy you went through?
A: The academy was definitely physically challenging and there is no doubt that the programming here at DogTown helped me get through those long arduous days and the Biddle physical test, which is a physical agility test. Many Southern California Fire departments and academies use it to narrow down the pool of applicants to make sure they can do the job. It involves hose pulls, ladder raises, dummy drags, and multiple trips up the training tower with certain tools, all while wearing firefighting gear. The cut off time is 9 minutes 34 seconds I believe and I got 5:48 when we tested, which is the record for the academy. It was fun to see people get excited that I had broken the record and it felt like just another workout at DT.
The training I did before the academy allowed me to focus on the mental side of things because I was so physically prepared with DogTown.
Q: What inspired you to be a Firefighter?
A: A good family friend of mine was a firefighter and he inspired me to start getting my education and training for it. Beyond that, I love helping people and that has driven me to keep after it. That’s one of the reasons I love coaching at DogTown too. You get to help people be healthier and develop good skills that they will keep with them for the rest of their life.
Q: What are you most excited about in this next chapter you are about to start?
A: Getting into the Fire Service and being able to be there for someone when they may need it the most. Unfortunately emergencies do happen and it is a privilege to be able to help someone out of those situations.
Q: Every class you have coached, you have shown up being so positive and encouraging. What has motivated you to always stay so focused on the athletes and to be so on point with coaching?
A: Well thank you for that compliment! Honestly, I just love coaching and I get a lot of motivation from all the members at DogTown. I’ve always wanted members to get as much out of each class that they can. When people come in ready to go, I get pumped because I know there is a good chance we can all get better and maybe even learn a new skill. The best feeling is seeing people have light bulb moments or finally get a skill that has been nagging them for a while.
Q: What has coaching and training at DogTown taught you that you will take with you to Idaho?
A: There has been a lot of behind the scenes mentoring that I’m sure some of our members haven’t gotten a chance to see. Adam, Dusty, and the rest of the coaching staff know their jobs in and out and I have benefited quite a bit from their knowledge and training with them. Members wise there is a ton of diversity at DogTown and being able to coach and be friends with people from all walks of life has been really cool.
Q: What are your CrossFit goals?
A: I want to be as healthy as I can for as long as possible. Talking the old age, not getting diabetes, always being able to take care of myself type of stuff. That’s the main goal.
Being able to do any physical task that I want to do, at any time. Obviously there are limitations to that (still working on the whole human flight thing) but any practical thing that comes up. Whether that is pulling people out of burning buildings or chasing after elk with a bow and arrow in the Rockies, I want to be confident in my preparation for all physical challenges.
Q: From your time at DogTown, what do you think separates us from other boxes?
A: The community and coaches. There is a reason DogTown is so hard for me to leave. The coaches are high caliber and the community is beyond friendly. When I first moved to LA, I kind of felt like the small town guy in a city of people that didn’t care too much about me. That all changed when I got to know the people at DogTown. Such a high concentration of genuinely good people.
Q: Any departing words of wisdom for your DogTown family?
A: “Be an athlete, bend your knees”. Just kidding but I think a few Saturday morning folks will laugh at that. For real, just stay the course and keep all the get-togethers and events alive. Not only do those things keep us together and more consistent in coming in to the gym but they are also the fun parts of life.
