Q: Hey Sam, thanks for taking time out of hectic schedule to chat with us today! We know you have so many different ventures going on right now. Please fill us in on what you’ve been up to…
Sam: Well I just bought our business outright so most of my focus has been in the direction of service. My approach to our business is to make sure that our coaches can maximize their ability to produce results for our clientele, which, in turn, makes sure that our clients can make safe, efficient progress in their fitness journey. The health, wellness, and performance goals of the people I service locally and internationally is very important to me. I’m taking the time to find the people who are ready to commit to acting accordingly and pursuing the best version of themselves in a loving progressive fashion. I want to help condition a foundation that will place people in a position to be successful and I'm doing that with the assistance of our professional staff and diverse community. I'm trying to be the Rich Froning of service. Besides the gym I usually travel on the weekends and coach seminars internationally.
Q: I know over the last year you have really put focus on working with athletes that have Down syndrome. How did you get involved in that? And what has been best part of it?
Sam: It doesn’t matter where people are in life, whether they have Down syndrome, missing limbs, emotional issues, whether they are obese or terminally ill; I don’t care who they are, where they are, what they’re doing. I just want to be able to make sure that we have a place for them. And that’s really how it all happened I just thought to myself where does someone who has x, y or z go? And I wanted that answer to be Sam Dancer and the team at Qtown. I want to help anyone get healthier, stronger and learn more about themselves, their hearts, their minds, what it means to be communal and how we as individuals can come together and achieve something greater than our individual selves. I want to change the trajectory of humanity and one way I see that happening is getting others involved with some of the young men and women who have Down syndrome. They have changed my life. If they can have such a profound effect on me, I know it can happen to other people, too.
Q: Besides coaching athletes, what does the rest of your week look like?
Sam: Beside that I'm working with my team to provide innovative solutions to basic fitness related issues. My wife and I train in our free time between classes, and I travel during the weekend for various appearances, coaching seminars and competition.
Q: How do you find a good balance between your coaching, training, seminars, and personal time?
Sam: I physically look at my goals multiple times a day. I need those reminders to reduce the chance of opposing forces to derail me. My wife, my agent, my employees and supporters go above and beyond to assist me so that we as a team can have a more profound effect on whatever it is we seek to do.
Q: You definitely have a strong pull in the CrossFit community, what has gotten you to where you are now?
Sam: Christ
Q: For being so young, you have definitely had a broad range of experiences, what have been a couple of your most memorable moments?
Sam: Something really pure that sticks out was running through the mountains somewhere in Scandinavia while it was raining with Jenny Lebaw and Kristen Holte. I can't even explain how alive and connected I felt.
Specifically getting to work with folks like Shane Sweatt, CJ Martin, Ben Bergeron, and Jeremy Jones just to name a few has been such an amazing opportunity. But, generally speaking and most importantly all the failures I have experienced. Everyone fails. But what everyone doesn’t do is have the right perspective to use the judgement and critique of self-imposed failures from when we were unconditioned to learn our own lessons. If your perspective is right, you can gain the wisdom that allows you to condition your heart, mind and skill to the point that you can reduce the probability of fault and intuitively recognize “the way”, so we don’t continue to make the same mistakes. Understanding this is key to not only recovering, but building yourself to be something better than before. So be receptive to life and its infinite amount of lessons because it is not against you.
Q: Competition wise, what’s next on your agenda?
Sam: I have Wodapalooza Miami (WZA) and East Coast Championships (ECC) coming up in January. I'm so excited to see everyone and play fitness with my friends!
Q: Next year, will you be putting together a team for the CrossFit Games or going to compete as an individual again?
Sam: I will compete as an individual.
Q: In order to reach your athlete goals do you follow a strict nutrition/supplement plan?
Sam: I have been eating the same way for about 4 years now. I love to cook real fresh food and usually eat once a day around 9pm. Supplement wise I stay fairly consistent with bcaa's throughout the day, 8 HMB tabs a day, .15grams of creatine per lb. of body weight, fish oil, Vitamin D in the winter, bulletproof coffee in the morning and I try really hard to drink water. Personally, I think consistency is the most important thing, if a day comes where I'm not seeing performance gains I may change something.
Q: Besides coaching and training, what are your favorite things to do in your spare time?
Sam: Long boarding with my wife and jeep rides with my wife.
Q: The holidays are just around the corner, what do you look most forward to during the holidays?
Sam: Seeing how awesome and giving people are. I really admire people's ability to be so selfless.
Thanks Sam for your time and best of luck at the WZA and ECC! Happy Holidays!