Cam Davidson will enter his second year as the Penn State men's hockey team's strength and conditioning coach in 2014-15. As a Coordinator of Strength and Conditioning for the University, Davidson also works with Penn State's women's volleyball and track & field programs. During his time in State College, he also assisted in the design and application for the strength programs for the three-time NCAA defending national champion Penn State wrestling squad. In addition to his work with the school's teams, Davidson serves as the strength coach for Penn State volunteer throws coach and 2012 Olympian Ryan Whiting.
Prior to working at Penn State, Davidson was the director of strength and conditioning at the College of Charleston from 2007-09. At Charleston, he designed and implemented strength and conditioning programs for all 19 intercollegiate teams.
Davidson began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Wyoming, where he wrestled from 2001-02. Davidson went on to earn his master's degree from Marshall University in 2006, while working with many of its athletic teams. In 2006-07, he served as an assistant basketball strength coach at Clemson.
A senior-level Olympic weightlifter, Davison has competed at the national level for the past three years. He is SCCC certified through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, CSCS certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, has his Level 1 weightlifting certification through USA weightlifting, and has taken advanced certifications through Columbus Weightlifting and Totten Training Systems.
Cal Dietz has been the Head Olympic Strength and Conditioning coach for numerous sports at the University of Minnesota since 2000. Since Dietz's return to Minnesota he has developed the Strength and Conditioning Programs and over seen the daily progress in Men's Hockey from 2000-present, Men's' Basketball from 2004-2010, Women's Hockey from 2003-present, Men's Golf from 2000-present, Women's Golf from 2006-present Men's Swimming from 2000-Present, Track and Field from 2000-present, Baseball from 2000-2007, 2010 -present, and Wrestling from 2000 to 2004. During his tenure, Dietz has trained: a Hobey Baker Award winner, two Big Ten Athletes of the Year, athletes that have achieved 400 All-American honors, 29 Big Ten/WCHA championships teams and NCAA Team Champions, and 13 teams finish in the top four in the nation. He has consulted with Olympic and World Champions in various sports and professional athletes in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, and Professional Boxing.Also, during his time at the university help founded and chairs the Sport Biomechanics Interest Group with its purpose to explore the physiological and biomechanical aspects of advanced human performance encompassing the various aspects of kinesiology, biomechanics, neuro-mechanics and physics. This will be achieved by utilizing extensive research theories and applied knowledge in the multi-disciplinary field of human performance. Utilizing through a collaborative effort which involving numerous professional perspectives from diverse areas of academia such also include professionals from Mechanical engineering, Biomechanical Engineering, Orthopedics, and Physiology. Dietz is also a member of the Gender Equity Committee at the University of Minnesota and currently represents the University as a member of the Big Ten committee to develop performance enhancing policy for anabolic and ergogenic aids.
Dietz has given numerous lectures around the country, as well as publish several scientific articles and dozens articles on training. Most recently, Dietz co-authored the the top selling book, Triphasic Training: A systematic approach to elite speed and explosive strength performance.Prior to returning to Minnesota, Dietz was the strength coordinator at The University of Findlay, overseeing 26 men's and women's sports, in addition to coordinating the university's fitness center, coaching the offensive line with the football program and teaching strength and conditioning classes. He is no stranger to Minnesota athletics after serving as a graduate assistant strength coach while pursuing his graduate degree. During this time Dietz was the first assistant to football and assisted with a Majority of Olympic Sports.
Dr. Daniel Fabricant Ph.D
Dr. Daniel Fabricant is the Executive Director and CEO for the Natural Products Association., the oldest and largest trade association in the natural products industry representing retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers. Dr. Fabricant most recently served as the director of the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He heads up the Natural Products Association’s ongoing research initiatives and the association’s quality assurance efforts for dietary supplements, the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Certification, and TruLabel random testing programs. In addition, he serves as the principle voice on scientific, technical, and health-related issues. He has an extensive background in dietary supplements for women’s health, sports nutrition, and quality analysis of botanical products.Prior to joining the association, Dr. Fabricant was the Assistant Director of Research at ConsumerLab.com, where he oversaw efforts to evaluate and identify quality dietary supplements and coordinated independent laboratory testing. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctoral degree in pharmacognosy from the University of Illinois at Chicago at the Center for Botanical Dietary Supplement Research for women's health under the tutelage of Norman R. Farnsworth, a leading expert on herbal remedies, natural products drug discovery, and medical botany. He is a member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP), American Chemical Society (ACS), and holds a Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). As both a former college athlete and owner of a fitness business, Dr. Fabricant has developed a unique expertise in the science behind strength training and conditioning, an issue at the forefront of the nation’s debate on sports, and the limits of performance enhancement, especially as it relates to sports nutrition and supplementation.
Nate Harvey
The University at Buffalo (UB) is where Harvey earned a masters degree in Applied Physiology while volunteering as an assistant sports performance coach. Harvey has combined his formal education with his “under the bar” experience to help his athletes reach their maximum potential. Being a competitive powerlifter for 23 years, he totaled 2440 pounds at a body weight of 296. Harvey was a four-year letter winner and usafootball.com all-American while earning his undergraduate degree from SUNY Brockport in Exercise Physiology and Physical Education.Before coming to the University at Buffalo, Harvey has held positions as a high school football coach, sports performance coach in the private sector, and a fitness director. Harvey has also completed a strength and conditioning internship with the Buffalo Bills. Nate Harvey has used all of his knowledge and experience to create an outstanding environment for his student athletes and sports teams to achieve success.
Zach Reed
Zach is currently a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Georgia Tech. He is the Head Strength Coach for Track and Field as well as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for football. Zach got his start as a coach after playing Defensive Line for Tennessee Tech. While attending graduate school he served as the strength coach for the football team. After his first collegiate coaching experience Zach became a high school Physical Education teacher wherein he taught Weight Training as well as serving as the Strength and Conditioning Coach and Defensive Line Coach for football. When time permits, Zach competes in amateur strongman competitions.
Frank Velasquez
Frank Velasquez has committed his life and all of his virtues to building strength in high performers. For close to a decade Frank served Major League Baseball as a head strength and conditioning coordinator. He invested 16 years into the professional game and was known for cultivating excellence from elite professionals through innovative health architecture. Frank’s proactive philosophy is structured around conditioning the mind with information, the spirit with gratitude, and the body with motion. Frank’s influence and integrity led him to open one of the most progressive sports rehab and athletic development facilities in the country, REV Sports Rehab & Athletic Development located in Pittsburgh, PA. This move has positioned Frank to share his highly proficient skill-set with a more eclectic audience than just professional athletes. Though thankful for the relationships he has and the experiences the game has afforded him, he is excited to be able to share his love for health and wellness with people ready to attain a higher level of purpose. Whether Frank was wearing the hat of student athletic trainer for the University of Michigan’s Rose Bowl Championship team, or inspiring future first ballot baseball hall of famers, he has always believed that he is in the business of building character.
As an accomplished speaker and consultant, Frank has a passion for providing clarity by debunking popular media driven misconceptions. The truth is that the advances in science come in the form of information, technique, and equipment, not in a pill or a can. These convictions conflict with many decision makers throughout the world of professional sports and he is excited to share with kids, parents, educators, community members, and socially conscious business owners how to design a health program that will position them to fully realize their aspirations. Frank’s diverse experience in the world of elite athletics coupled with his candid, engaging style make him a highly coveted presenter and consultant.
Watts is the NSCA Ohio State Director and former Director of Education at elitefts.com™. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Professional and Applied Studies at Urbana University. Watts has a Masters Degree in Exercise Science & Health Promotion from California University of PA and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Clarion University of PA. He has been working with college athletes in over 20 different sports at the Division I, II & III levels for over 15 years as a strength & conditioning coach.Watts coached athletes at Denison University, The United States Military Academy at West Point, Allegheny College and Clarion University. He has also completed strength & conditioning internships at The University of Tulsa and the Ohio State University. Watts is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting, the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association. Watts started competing in powerlifting in 1997 and is an amateur strongman competitor in the Master’s division. Watts is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and is a USMC veteran.
Casey Williams
Pittsburgh native Casey Williams previously played football at Division 1- FCS Bucknell University where he was nominated the 2010 NSCA All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the year. He is new to the sport of powerlifting, but not new to the record book. Casey set the all-time world record, drug-free, raw squat and total in the 220 lbs. class. He holds multiple federation records at 26 years old. He took first place in the 242 class at Raw Unity Meet 7 (an international meet that showcases the best of the best in raw lifting), and second in the heavyweight super class. His lifts in 2014 were: Squat: 804, Bench: 534, Deadlift: 728, TOTAL: 2066 lbs
Interview with Todd Hammer
