Develop The Athlete

DREW STEVENSON, CSCS *D

Being healthy and active has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up in a health-minded family and participated in competitive athletics, particularly lacrosse. After receiving a degree in business and “driving a desk” for a few years, I  began to yearn for a way to make my love of health and fitness more than just a pastime. I now put that passion to good use. As a trainer, helping individuals reach their health and fitness goals is more than just a job for me; it’s a vocation.

• My certifications include: National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), formerly American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer and Reaction Cycling Certified Instructor. Additionally, I am constantly researching my field, participating in educational seminars and furthering my education to stay on top of the latest research.

• My business background translates to my work in personal training: I bring those standards to my work by being results-oriented and professional in all aspects of my work relationships.

• I’m an avid athlete, regularly competing in marathons, half-marathons, Half-Ironman triathlons, and a variety of other running and triathlon events.

• Former Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Chicago Machine, a major-league lacrosse team.

• Head Coach of Robert Morris University’s Men’s Lacrosse team

• Director and Founder of Chicago Youth Lacrosse

JACQUELYN JACKSON, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, LMT

Jacquelyn Jackson is a motivator, an athlete and an entrepreneur who inspires those around her to reach their full potential. Her mission is to educate and influence others to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  She began her fitness enthusiasm as a young student athlete playing basketball, softball, and running track. The desire to further understand health and human performance evolved throughout her college studies and she received her Bachelor of Science in Health & Sport Sciences from the University of Oklahoma. In college, she also worked on the sidelines as a student athletic trainer.  Jacquelyn is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).  In addition, she is a Certified Group Exercise Instructor from the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA).  For the last 10 years, she has been working to help her clients achieve their health and fitness goals.  Whether she is helping an athlete take their game to the next level as a Strength & Conditioning Coach for Develop the Athlete, LLC, or helping an individual live a healthier life with personal training, she believes that anyone can benefit from a fitness regimen regardless of age or athletic ability.  In 2007, she founded her company Triple Fit, Inc. in Chicago, IL.  Jacquelyn understands that a healthy lifestyle also includes education, so she also works as an instructor with the National Personal Training Institute and as a fitness columnist for Salon News USA.  In addition to her fitness credentials, Jacquelyn is a licensed massage therapist, certified through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage (NCBTMB). Personally, she continues to stay active as a marathon runner and future tri-athlete. While Jacquelyn keeps challenging herself, she aims to motivate others to enjoy a well-rounded life through her personal philosophy to “look fit, feel fit, and be fit.”

PERCY GIBSON, NPTI, NASM

Prior to becoming a personal trainer, I spent 7 years with GE Capital’s Mergers and Acquisitions Division. After a successful corporate career, I now help people achieve success when it comes to health and fitness. As a former collegiate athlete (Track & Field, University of Tennessee) I’ve always had a passion for excellence when it came to fitness. This background taught me the benefits of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. I enjoy helping others achieve success and watching them reap the rewards of such hard work. This is one of the reasons I enjoy working with young athletes, whether it is in basketball, football, soccer or many other sport-specific training techniques. There’s no better feeling than watching them grow as individuals and as athletes.

AUDRA RUPINSKAS, NPTI, IYCA

Sports and fitness have always been a passion of mine. I have been involved with athletics for as long as I remember including volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. While at the University of Iowa, I was captainof the Women’s Lacrosse team. Some of my greatest experiences and memories came while playing on the lacrosse team. When I moved home, uncertain about what career path to take, I was offered a job coaching lacrosse at my alma mater, Hinsdale Central High School. Watching the girls work hard, day in and day out and grow not only as athletes, but as individuals, was the greatest gratification I could ask for. I knew right then and there, that I wanted to continue helping athletes and other individuals achieve their health and fitness goals. I moved to the city about 2 years ago to attend personal training school. I received my personal training certification from the National Personal Training Institute (N.P.T.I), along with my Youth Training Certification (IYCA). I am now currently a personal trainer and a Girl’s Lacrosse coach at St. Ignatius and for Chicago Youth Lacrosse. Everyday, I look forward to helping others achieve their dreams and goals. There truly is no better feeling than helping others better their lives, and I am blessed to be a part of it!

JENNIFER MCGOWAN, RKC, ACE

I am dedicated to helping my clients improve their health, fitness and athletic performance.  I believe that proper movement is the key to developing lasting injury-free fitness.  My belief in the importance of movement drew me to the discipline of kettlebell training.   Brought over to the United States from by Soviet Special Operations physical trainer Pavel Tsatsouline, kettlebells are one of the best tools for building extreme all around fitness.  After 15 years of training myself, several marathons and nine years working as a personal trainer, I found that kettlebells work like no other fitness tool to build a strong, lean and athletic body. I work with a broad range of clients ranging from experienced triathletes to those who are new to fitness training.  While I focus on kettlebell training, I also draw on the work of others in the fitness/physical training field, including physical therapist Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS, and back specialist Stuart McGill, PhD.

I have been certified as a personal trainer by American Council on Fitness (ACE) since 1991 and in 2009 trained under Pavel Tsatsouine and became a Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) certified kettlebell instructor.  I look forward to testing for my RKC Level ll certification in March 2011.   I currently operate my own personal training and kettlebell training business, Fire Power Kettlebell.