Fitness is an important part of health and well being at Gateway, as it sets the stage for the students to learn and enhance their ability to deal with difficult emotions. As students take the time to improve their physical health, they find that their overall wellbeing is improved.
Skip Hardy
BS, CPT
Fitness Coordinator, Elective Teacher
Credentials
Bachelor of Science in Exercise & Sports Science, University of Utah
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Philosophy
Skip has experienced firsthand the benefits that physical fitness has on mental stability, self-confidence, and emotional wellbeing. He believes in the therapeutic benefits of a targeted daily fitness routine, and knows that the students he works with will be able to learn how to use movement and fitness to reach their personal and therapeutic goals.
Professional
After graduating from the University of Utah in 2011, Skip started his career in the fitness industry training in both group and individual settings. He has worked with people from a variety of age ranges, and many different physical abilities. He brought his experience to Gateway Academy in January of 2014, and put it to use teaching students the benefits of strength and cardiovascular training using a variety of training methods.
Personal
Skip spends most of his free time working on his own fitness practice, training in the gym, or running in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. He also enjoys snowboarding in these same mountains during the winter. Skip is also an accomplished drummer, who has played for around 15 years with a variety of different local bands. He also loves spending time in the beautiful outdoors that Utah provides with his family.
Creating Student Success
Skip has watched a number of students arrive at Gateway without much focus on fitness in their lives, and not understanding the benefits physical fitness can bring. As these students get into his class and start pushing themselves, beyond what they thought they were capable of, he sees the positivity of their accomplishments helping their personality and character to develop. Many of these students communicate how fitness helps them to regulate their moods, and how their confidence has been improved through the daily exercises in class. The relationship that is built with the students, as they push themselves past doubt and fear, radiates beyond fitness class, and the Gateway community flourishes with these same qualities being shown as students go through their daily lives.