Our Coaches.

Owner & Coach

Andy joined Iron Will in March of 2013 after much prodding from his brother Shawn. With that he scheduled an intro class, and at the conclusion of it, signed up for the next Foundations. In the beginning Andy had thoughts of quitting multiple times because it was different from his other gym experiences, and he felt he was out of shape. However, the trainers were supportive and inclusive of those that were new, something Andy strives to uphold at SVG Athletics. The more days he went the more he got to know other members and was amazed at how they would cheer each other on and motivate each other to keep pushing. As each class passed by he would see more and more of the community spirit so he continued going.

When Iron Will closed in April of 2017 Andy joined Journey where he met Jay. He has since visited many local boxes and even some further away when he has traveled. In September of 2017, Andy completed the L-1 Certification course along with his brother. He now looks forward to encouraging and supporting both experienced and new members, as we together forge a strong family and community with his fellow owners, trainers, and friends at S∙V∙G Athletics!

What S∙V∙G means to Andy:

The strength to push through.

The valor to stand your ground in the face of adversity.

The grit to dig deep and push beyond your limits.

Qualifications:

L-2 Trainer

CPR/AED

Owner & Coach

Jay started his fitness journey in 2013 at Firestorm in Chicopee. When he started out, he was at his lowest point from a health and wellness standpoint. The first few weeks were difficult, but as time went on the improvements were hard to ignore. He began to lose weight, over 100lbs, and got many of the complex movements that he never thought he would be able to do, handstand push-ups and muscle ups seemed far-fetched that first day. This newfound passion for fitness inspired Jay to get his Level 1 certification in 2014 so he could share what had changed his life. After the closing of Firestorm Jay went on to coach at Journey in Springfield. He has had the opportunity to organize many great events and meet some pretty amazing people along the way. His passion to help and inspire people is still burning strong and SVG Athletics will be the perfect place for him to share that.

Jay welcomes anyone wanting to change their life and begin their fitness journey.

Qualifications:

L-2 Trainer

USAW Level 1

CPR/AED

Coach

Kirsten found functional fitness in 2016 and has been a member of SVG since they opened in 2018. What she loves most is that there is something for everyone. As a coach, Kirsten likes to meet people where they are at, but also push them to be the best that they can be on that day.

Kirsten is a professional Firefighter/EMT in Chicopee, MA. She is also an instructor at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. She has found that being a well-rounded athlete translates well to the physical demands of her job. School is what brought Kirsten to the area from Connecticut. She was recruited to the rowing team at Mount Holyoke College, where she studied Psychology. She also conducted an independent study for her minor, titled “Education and Sport”. She then went on to earn her MBA from UMASS Amherst before working in Healthcare Administration for some time.

Kirsten has been active her entire life, participating in a variety of sports from grade school up through college. She also loves being a dog mom to her four babies - Ellie, Beca, Taco, and Larry.

Qualifications:

L-1 Trainer

EMT-B, BLS CPR Instructor
USAW Level 1 Weightlifting Coach
CrossFit Programming
CrossFit Spot The Flaw
M2 Performance Nutrition Metabolism Certification
M2 Performance Nutrition Hormone Health Certification
M2 Performance Nutrition Practical Nutrition Coaching Certification
M2 Performance Nutrition Gut Biology Certification

Coach

Angela Curto is 51 years old and has been a functional fitness athlete since 2018. Before joining SVG, Angela started her coaching career as a Les Mills Bodypump instructor at Gold’s Gym, later known as Club Fitness. In March of 2018, she arrived at SVG for a partner WOD and was instantly intrigued. While continuing to coach BodyPump, she started her functional fitness journey with a punch card, which quickly turned into a monthly membership. Angela has a passion for helping others and was encouraged by other members and coaches to start the certification process. In January 2019 she passed the L-1 certification and continued online education classes. She now has her L-1 for USA Weightlifting, her L-2 certification and other various certificates. 

Not only does Angela continue her education in the field, she maintains an eagerness to help people feel their best and encourages them to live a healthy lifestyle. She is the mother of two beautiful daughters, who are also members of SVG.

Angela has a gift for making everyone feel welcomed and will do everything she can to help you reach your fitness goals. Attending a class with Angela is a real treat! 

Qualifications:

L-2 Trainer

USAW Level 1

Coach

Zack has been surrounded by health and fitness since he was very young. He grew up playing sports and played soccer at Endicott College where he graduated with a degree in Physical Education.

He found community fitness in 2012 and realized the potential that it had to change lives and began his coaching journey. His favorite part of coaching is giving athletes the "ah-ha" moment of realizing they can do so much more than they thought.

Zack enjoys long walks on the beach and petting puppies. He can be found eating kettle corn while watching Harry Potter, or debating the best Game of Thrones dragon.

Qualifications:

L-2 Trainer
Gymnastics
Weightlifting
USAW L1
CPR

Coach

Hollie Mullane has always enjoyed being active. Growing up she was a swimmer, horseback rider, and showed dogs competitively. She stumbled onto community fitness in 2015 when dropping into what would become her second home, the Gym. Hollie has a passion for helping others achieve their goals and a desire to give back to others what community fitness gave to her; she had finally found something that drove her to constantly improve, and she became a Coach so she could pass on what she had learned. Don't be surprised if she gets more excited seeing her fellow athletes smash their goals than when she reaches her own!

Hollie is continuing to improve herself; she has worked hard toward learning more about nutrition and recovery and the roles they play in fitness and overall health. In fact, she is a certified nutrition coach! She'd love to talk to you about any fitness or nutrition related questions you might have. When she's not at the gym, she can probably be found at the fire station perusing her full time Firefighter/EMT dream or spending time at home with her three adorable cats and dog or even trying to make her favorite foods (ice cream) healthier!

Qualifications:

L-2 Trainer
CPR/AED
EMT-B
Weightlifting
Sports nutrition certification
Corrective exercise certification
Certified personal trainer 

Coach

Alex started Functional Fitness in March of 2017. She had recently completed her master's program at Springfield College and was getting tired of the same old fitness regimen at global gyms. Alex was a lifelong athlete who had played rugby in college and was searching for a new sport that could offer both competition and community. Her mom had been doing Functional Fitness for many years and had always encouraged Alex to join, finally she agreed. From her first class, Alex was hooked. She immediately joined a local gym with an unlimited membership and has not looked back since. Alex joined the SVG community in 2019 as an athlete.

As a natural-born leader, Alex always knew she wanted to coach someday. In 2020, she finally decided to take the Functional Fitness L1 course and joined the team of coaches in the beginning of 2021.

Qualifications:

L-1 Trainer
CPR/AED Certification

M2 Performance Nutrition Metabolism Certification

M2 Performance Nutrition Hormone Health Certification
M2 Performance Nutrition Practical Nutrition Coaching Certification

M2 Performance Nutrition Gut Biology Certification

USAW Level 1 Weightlifting Coach

Coach

Doug has decades of experience of coaching high school sports as well as olympic lifting. With a background in Football, Basketball and Lacrosse he has turned the youth of South Hadley into strong, dedicated athletes. Now he's bringing that enthusiasm and commitment to the SVG Athletics Barbell Club.

Doug found functional fitness 4 years ago when he was looking for a healthier lifestyle. He liked the challenge, but he loved the  class structure and the community. From there, he fell in love with olympic lifting. His focus is on building strength and power through a commitment to technique, something especially important as you advance in age. Or as Doug says: "I just wanna lift heavy things as long as I can."

Doug loves the smile on his athlete's faces when they hit a big lift. And their smiles when they walk in and see him.

Qualifications

L-2 Trainer

USAW Level 2

Coach

Ted began Functional Fitness over 5 years ago and has been a member of the SVG coaching staff for the last 2 years. A former college basketball player, Ted still enjoys time on the court in many local men's league teams. Ted's Functional Fitness journey started when he was trying to capture the energy and competition that he enjoyed when he played basketball while obtaining his degree in Political Science and Constitutional Law. This gave him an opportunity to refocus on his physical and mental health and within his first year he managed to lose 150 pounds!

One thing that motivates Ted is helping others find their path to a healthier and more positive lifestyle regardless of where they are starting from. As a former Pennsylvanian who found himself transplanted in Western Massachusetts, both the staff and athletes at SVG Athletics helped Ted feel right at home. When not at the gym you can find Ted enjoying time with his dog Piper, exploring underwater locals as an avid scuba diver, or finding space to store all his sneakers.

Qualifications:

L-1 Trainer
CPR/AED

Coach

Wendy was encouraged to try functional fitness in 2018 by a follow softball teammate, who was an original member when the doors to SVG opened. She has been a member ever since.

Wendy’s educational background is a B.S. in Movement Science with a concentration in sports medicine, followed by a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Her career background is primarily with neurologically impaired and geriatric patients, with the last two years spent in homecare. She has always been fascinated by how the body moves and recovers. As a physical therapist, she always exercised, because she knew it was important to be strong for her patients. She also learned to truly appreciate the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for a long life with as little sickness as possible.

Wendy has gained so many meaningful relationships through her time spent at SVG athletics, as well as an increased confidence in herself. The thing she loves most about this gym, aside from the community, is that there is always room to grow, to improve and to learn.

Qualifications:

DPT
CPR-AED
L-1 trainer