Assistant Coaches

Overview:

Along the way in coaching at NC State University and teaching and coaching at Cardinal Gibbons High School I’ve had the privilege to work along-side some top-notch young professionals as they developed their coaching brand and skills.  Here are the biographies of these members starting with the most recent.

Chris Chester, Assistant Coach

A graduate from Furman University (Class of 2016) Coach Chester has a BA in Health Science. Chris is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Not only has experience playing soccer at the high school and club level, but plenty of exposure to various other sports like basketball, football, volleyball to name a few with Paladin Power and Speed. His passion for soccer is mainly to due an opportunity to play varsity soccer having struggled to make other teams. His drive for his own successes helps him push his athletes through workouts and mentoring to become their best on and off the field (or court) in their respective sports.

Khalid Fuller, Sports Administration and Marketing Assistant

Khalid is a senior student athlete enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, studying sports administration (Class of 2019).  He grew up watching and participating in sports and has been fascinated with the environment ever since. Khalid ran Track and Field at Indiana Tech and University of Cincinnati.  Khalid has taken his core classes in sports administration and marketing with many sports related experiences like game-day event management, ticketing sales, and facility management.  He is seeking a position in sports administration and marketing.  Khalid’s dream is to continue his run and land a career job pioneering but not limited to sports administration.

Devin Cornelius, former assistant coach,

current throws coach

Devin is a former Assistant Strength Coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School and Performance Coach at Athletic Lab. He is currently the Throws Coach at Cardinal Gibbons for the men’s and women’s track teams. Devin is currently pursuing certifications to become a strength and conditioning specialist and track and field coach.  He is a decathlete training for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and sponsored by MorlandSTRENGTH.

K. Hunter Byrd, former assistant coach

Hunter (NASM-CPT) is a Senior Exercise and Sport Science Major in the Fitness Professional Track at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been involved in undergraduate research in the Sports Medicine Research Lab at UNC where he has been actively looking into mechanisms of injury prevention for lower extremity biomechanics. Hunter is passionate about human movement and ensuring proper movement is taught to enhance performance for all people. He carries this passion with him to Cardinal Gibbons High School, where he currently works as a volunteer assistant Strength and Conditioning coach.

Brendan Rabideau, former assistant coach

Brendan comes to the Gibbons STRENGTH and Conditioning program as a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-CPT) and a High School Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the International Youth Conditioning Association.  He is also pursuing a BS as a Health and Fitness Specialist at East Carolina University (’16) in Greenville, NC.

Brendan has always had a passion for sports and strength training.  At LaSalle Academy in Providence, RI he played varsity ice hockey and lacrosse earning 2nd team All-State in both his junior season and 1st team All-State in lacrosse his senior year.  After leading the league in assists and points his last two years at LaSalle he went on to play Division II collegiate lacrosse at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, NC.  Unfortunately a string of concussions forced Brendan to the sideline.

Complementing his playing experience on the ice and field, Brendan has also been an instructor at several youth hockey and lacrosse clinics.  In addition to personal training, in Fall 2014 he began assisting with Next Level Training Center’s Athletic Development classes for youth athletes.

Sean Cowick, former assistant coach

Coach Sean comes from East Carolina University as a coach that has been around the fitness industry for a few years now.  He did his internship over the summer and trained the 9th Grade football team.  He is currently a volunteer assistant for the Gibbons Strength and Conditioning program training multiple teams and as a co-sponsor of the newly formed GS Student Leadership Team.

Coach Sean’s mission is to provide others the knowledge to participate in exercise performance. He wants to increase body’s self-awareness to better execute an exercise with proper form and technique, while maximizing the work output. Thus, providing the individual with confidence and knowledge of their body.  Also, educating the individual the importance of nutrition and its’ benefits to their body’s growth.  He strives to increase his knowledge in the field of health and human performance to better assist each person he trains.  The target goal is to help as many people as possible to reach their maximum potential and goals.  He currently has his ACE-CPT certification and is working toward the ACSM, CSCS, and USAW certifications over the next 6 months.

Amer Nahhas, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, USAW-L1, former assistant coach

Coach Amer came from East Carolina University alumni with a degree in Kinesiology and ample experience in coaching.  He completed an Associate in Science from Wake Technical Community College in 2011, then transferred to East Carolina University where he earned a Bachelor in Science in December 2013. He holds the National Strength and Conditioning associate Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), as well as the personal trainer certification (NSCA-CPT).  He also holds a sports performance coach certificate through USA Weightlifting (USAW-L1).

A valuable experience he had was a duel internship from August 2013 to December 2013 in both the clinical setting at Duke Raleigh lifestyle and disease management center along with a hands-on training at one of the lead facilities in the Triangle area called the Athletic Lab located in Cary, NC.  He has been the lead assistant strength and conditioning coach for Cardinal Gibbons High school since November of 2013.  Many professional opportunties has allowed Amer to gain a solid training experience in the field of Kinesiology totaling more than a two years. In the future, he aspires to go to Graduate School and get a Master’s degree so he can train his students-athletes at the highest level, as well as spread more awareness about the proper way to develop human performance and athletic abilities.”

“Coach Amer came to Cardinal Gibbons High School with an open mind to learn the methodology and with a strong work ethic that he applied to training and building relationship with the staff and students.  The Gibbons STRENGTH and Conditioning program will forever have gratitude to Coach Amer for his diligence, excellence, and the relational touch only his style could provide in the beginning stages of building a championship program.  We look forward to following him along as he continues to be in Raleigh with Lifetime Athletic and partner in any way.  Any organization would be blessed to have Coach Amer aboard to enhance their mission!”

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Chelsea Torres, MS, CF-L1, former assistant coach

Chelsea Torres, a 2009 Cardinal Gibbons graduate, is an experienced trainer who earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from East Carolina University. In 2013, she graduated with a degree in Kinesiology and earned her Personal Training Certification through the American College on Exercise. Chelsea has garnered valuable experience in the fitness industry as the Graduate Assistant for Physical Activity and Fitness for East Carolina University Campus Recreation and Wellness during her graduate studies. She will earn her Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Science with a concentration in Sport Management in May of 2015. Her time at Cardinal Gibbons as an Assistant Strength Coach since January of 2015 has helped to hone her coaching method and realize a true desire to work with young athletes.

Chelsea’s mission as a coach is to provide functional, transferable performance training to young athletes that not only increases their ability to perform in sport but increases their self-awareness and confidence in life outside of training. She prescribes educationally founded exercise tailored to an athlete’s sport and personal abilities in a self-confidence promoting environment. As a coach of young athletes she strives to provide each one with the knowledge and ability to become future leaders in training and life. Chelsea truly enjoys coaching at her Alma mater and contributing to the future great athletes and leaders of Cardinal Gibbons High School.

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Erin Blaser, NASM CPT, former assistant coach

What is your passion in learning and educating?

In learning, I’m always searching for a new perspective and new ways to solve the same problems. I also work hard to try to apply my learning in order to provide evidence from experience when I teach someone else. I am passionate about learning more about myself, and developing good proprioceptive and postural skills on a neurological level; and I am passionate about educating others to do the same with themselves. It is a gift to help people learn what they never knew that they were capable of, and my goal is to educate in a way that promotes self-efficacy and autonomy in the learner.

What is your background as a coach and trainer?

I have been a personal trainer for a little over two years now, and have trained high school athletes (primarily cheerleaders and swimmers) in weight training, as well as the general population in a health club setting.

How long have you blogged and how could it enhance your career?

I have been blogging for Morland Strength for about two years on and off. I appreciate the experience because it helps me grow in my professional skills, and keeps me learning in my field. Based on the topics we have done in the past, I have also learned a lot about leadership, teamwork, and coaching styles.

What are some examples of special or distinct skills you could bring to our blogging team?

I have a degree in Exercise and Sport Science, and am pursuing my doctorate in Physical Therapy. The formal education I have is a great resource to use when I am confused about a concept, as I can reason out the answer with the science behind it. I really enjoy sharing that part with people! On another note, I am a skilled editor, and can read through the eyes of others. I am always available and willing to proofread for my fellow bloggers!

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Justin Taylor, CSCS, former assistant coach

Coach Taylor received his Exercise Sport Science major with a concentration in Fitness Professional at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a native of Durham, NC, where he was a standout and leading linebacker at Northern Durham High School. He later played one year of varsity Football at UNC-ChapelHill. He decided then to pursue exercise given his passion to enter the strength and conditioning profession. He states, “I’ve been strength training since age 11 but it was under Coach Jeff Connors that I decided to pursue strength and conditioning as a profession.” Over the last four years he has trained athletes in preparation for collegiate sports teams totaling about 50 athletes. Justin plans to obtain his certification as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and get his Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology.

Chris Morland (Director of Strength & Conditioning at Cardinal Gibbons High School) states:

“Coach Taylor was a vital and valuable team member of our staff during the spring and summer of 2014 showing excellent skills in designing and implementing training programs with football, track and field, and other sport teams. He motivated our kids to reach higher goals with such report that many of them ask about how he is doing to this day.”