Known for providing trainers with adaptive and inclusive fitness education through its seminars and online courses, Adaptive Training Academy (ATA) is making significant moves to have a greater impact. They have formed a non-profit organization led by an impressive newly established nine-member Board of Directors that will build on its mission to make fitness accessible and inclusive for every body, regardless of ability.
James McDermott, Head Coach of Albany CrossFit and ATA Board Member, says:
“I’m excited to work with ATA and to be of service to adaptive athletes. I’ve seen firsthand how exercise can change the lives of those who didn’t think they had any more options in life, and I think ATA is the best organization to reach more people in need and provide them with resources to improve their lives.”
The newly established non-profit board will work in partnership with Interim Executive Director, Leora Hafri. Leora is the former COO of The OUT Foundation and Executive Director of Forging Youth Resilience. Together, they will work to establish new programs that support the creation of adaptive and inclusive fitness programs in gyms, directly support and empower people with disabilities (PWD), and continue to provide education, equipment, and resources to adaptive fitness trainers and gyms.
No one knows the needs of the adaptive fitness and sport community more than ATA Co-Founder and Board Member Logan Aldridge. He has dedicated his life to empowering others, whether it’s through playing college lacrosse with one arm, competing in Spartan races and the CrossFit Games, inventing adaptive equipment, or setting Guinness World Records. Logan’s journey exemplifies the belief that anything is possible. His previous position as Director of Training at ATA paved the way for him to become the first Peloton instructor with a disability in 2022. Logan says that through ATA he wants to “make the pursuit of a healthy and active lifestyle the norm for all.”
Because the need for adaptive fitness access and support is a worldwide issue, ATA is committed to having international representation on the Board and selected Andrea Unwin, a UK-based lawyer and adaptive athlete.
“As an adaptive athlete it is fundamentally important to me that opportunities in fitness for persons with disabilities continues to grow. Disability should never be a barrier to fitness and since my diagnosis, I have been lucky enough to have access and support in my training. This is not the same for all adaptive athletes.
By serving on the ATA board, I hope to share ATA’s unrivaled expertise and knowledge with trainers, gyms, and persons with disabilities across Europe. I am excited and honored by the opportunity to create global changes for the future of persons with disabilities in Europe, paving the way to a world where access to fitness is a right, not a privilege.”
NEW NON-PROFIT BOARD MEMBERS
ATA’s Board Members represent a wide range of diverse work, volunteer, and life experiences, and include several adaptive athletes, trainers, CrossFit Games athletes, non-profit professionals, governance experts, medical professionals, veterans, and gym owners.
- Logan Aldridge, CF-L1, NASM CPT: Peloton Instructor, Adaptive Athlete
- Daniel Blevins: Veterans Affairs Whole Health Coach, Veteran, Adaptive Athlete
- Tracy LaMarche, MS, CHES, C-PT, AIT: Project Manager, National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adaptive Athlete
- Christopher Leckrone: Legal and Compliance Advisor
- Jenna Muri-Rosenthal, MS CCC SLP, CBIS, CF-L2, AIT: Founder & Head Trainer, Fit to Function Recovery, and ATA Seminar Staff
- James McDermott, CF-L2, FMT, PMT, USAW: Head Coach of Albany CrossFit & Weightlifting Coach, Author
- Krystina Miller, PT, DPT, ATP, AIT: Chief Executive Officer, MATRX Health & Fitness
- Andrea Unwin, LLB, AIT: Legal Director, Adaptive Athlete
- Alec Zirkenbach, AIT: ATA Founder, Veteran, Adaptive Athlete
ATA HISTORY
Adaptive Training Academy was established in 2012 with a unique mission to provide an adaptive fitness program at Fathom CrossFit exclusively for the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Naval Medical Center San Diego. This groundbreaking initiative, a recreational therapy program offering free weekly fitness for wounded and injured active-duty servicemembers, quickly evolved to embrace individuals with disabilities, marking the beginning of ATA’s inclusive journey.
In 2017, after years of practice, the principles and methods used to train the athletes in this wounded warrior program were drafted into an educational course for trainers (CrossFit Speciality Course: Adaptive Training). In 2019, the Adaptive & Inclusive Trainer (AIT) Certificate Course was created as an evolution of the CrossFit-specific course to provide functional fitness education for trainers using CrossFit and other fitness methodologies, including educating therapists and medical professionals. And now, in 2024, the non-profit is launching operations and establishing programs to continue to support the ATA community and PWD.
IMPACT
ATA has provided adaptive fitness education through seminars and online courses to an impressive number of trainers and organizations worldwide.
- 📖 3,850+ graduates of the AIT Course
- 🦾 1,675+ gyms and organizations trained
- 🌎 51+ countries represented
- 📚 76 seminars in 12 different countries via seven languages
ATA Founder and Seminar Staff Alec Zirkenbach acknowledges the progress ATA has made thus far but says there’s more work to be done to make fitness accessible:
“Adaptive fitness education is necessary to provide trainers with safe and effective methods, but the education alone isn’t enough to truly make fitness inclusive for PWD. Some trainees are geographically not near an AIT trainer or inclusive gym, PWD typically have a higher cost of living and can’t afford specialty coaching, and most gyms are not prepared to service adaptive trainees. Therefore, the non-profit’s charge is to deliver programs that will enable and support PWD, adaptive trainers, and other organizations.”
GET INVOLVED!
Does ATA’s mission resonate with you?… Here’s how to get involved and make a difference!