For those of who knew Eric, know that you knew one of the kindest, most giving, and gentlest souls. He would do anything to help those around him. He gave more than he took, and saved a whole lot of dogs!

Eric was a huge advocate for our community, and fiercely protective of all the people in his life. He always gave space to just be who you are without judgment or expectation. Eric was our coach. Our person who was safe, our person who fought hard for us. He fought just as hard as we did in every moment. You would always know where he was because you could hear him yelling in complete support and happiness. “Yes you can!” could be heard over everything. After a big PR or big moment you would get the biggest hug as he threw you in the air telling you how proud he was. These were the moments we all strived for. He was so proud of all his athletes.

As a healer, he took care of all of his athletes both mentally and physically. He was an incredible massage therapist and had a vast knowledge of human anatomy. He ensured that we all took care of ourselves and was there to keep us moving. When he would catch us in moments of self doubt he would sit and listen. He would listen with every ounce of his soul. He would provide a place for vulnerability and safety. This helped you get to a point within yourself to know how strong you really were. To know that vulnerability was okay and that it actually provides you with strength.

In addition to being one of our coaches, Eric was a pretty outstanding athlete as well. Over the years he collected many accomplishments of his own. He finally reached his personal goal of a 600lb deadlift in October as well as a few new personal bests. He also faced down his enemy, the bench press, and got himself a pretty little PR. The cool part about him was not only would he stand beside us in our achievements, he also trained alongside us. Sometimes a few of us would have “bro sessions,” then he would make us walk over to the mirror to see the little pumps we would get. It made us laugh, but these are some of the moments we will always remember. Luckily for us, we got the opportunity to have so many great moments with him. Whether it was in class or traveling all over to a competition, no matter where we would go, we were all doing it together.

After every class he held he would gather all of his athletes and ask them what they were grateful for. So as you read this ask yourself,

“What am I grateful for today?”

Eric leaves behind an amazing legacy of love, kindness, support, and protection.