“Whether that is on the court, ice, field, pitch, in the classroom, or in the spiritual and leadership realm, everyone has a part to play as a university athlete. Everyone can make a difference. The question is, are you ready?”
— Cole Hergott, Trinity Western Spartans Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Cole Hergott grew up playing many sports and found his passion in strength and conditioning. He is Trinity Western Spartans Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, having graduated with a Bachelor of Human Kinetics at TWU and completed a master’s degree in coaching at UBC.
Hergott has a strong passion for helping athletes reach their full potential through strength training, nutrition and recovery methods. He believes that athletics can transform a person, both in and out of the gym.
Applying strength training to life
“Athletics helps build character, passion, discipline, hard work, teamwork, time management and competitiveness,” he said. “These are key aspects that most people want in a future employee, but these skills are hard to build elsewhere outside of sport.”
The mindset a person develops through strength training can be applied in many contexts. Hergott noted, “Being able to find ways to push yourself in the weight room helps keep you strong and healthy, but it also builds an incredible self-belief that carries over to areas outside of sports.”
In fact, the kind of resilience that athletics can build may boost a person’s competence in many areas of life. As Hergott pointed out, “This self-belief is a huge component of success, because if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will either!”
The rigour of strength training can reveal a person’s character, and can build humility. “Athletics also shows that someone is open to feedback and used to being coached,” said Hergott.
He continued, “Many people nowadays complain of having employees or interns that shut down when they are critiqued and offered feedback. The ability to accept and give feedback is a large part of sports and vital to thriving in the everyday world.”
Speaking at the Spartans Leadership Superconference
Hergott will be speaking as part of the Coaches Panel at the 2020 Spartan Sports Leadership Superconference, a virtual event streaming on October 23. At the conference, many aspiring athletes will be listening to Hergott and to other leaders and influencers in the athletics world.
Hergott hopes that attendees will gain some important takeaways from his talk. Particularly, he desires that young athletes will enter into the next level prepared. “I hope people understand that university is tough. It is no cake-walk, and you have to be ready for it.”
However, Hergott is among those who are ready to help young people succeed. “I also hope they understand that they are capable of rising to the challenge of being a student-athlete,” he continued. “They have friends, family, coaches and teammates that are there to support them.”
Support for a young athlete can sometimes become the key to their success. Hergott encouraged future leaders to know that they are not in it alone. “[Athletes] need to make sure they utilize all the resources at their disposal to maximize their athletic development, and to enter their Freshman year with the best chance to make an immediate impact,” he said.
“Whether that is on the court, ice, field, pitch, in the classroom, or in the spiritual and leadership realm, everyone has a part to play as a university athlete. Everyone can make a difference,” said Hergott.
“The question is, are you ready?”
Sports in the time of COVID-19
2020 is a unique year for sports, and Hergott has some reflections on how COVID-19 has changed the context for university sports. “The biggest change for us due to COVID-19 is the reduction and elimination of games in the early fall,” he said.
He continued, “However, we are adapting by maximizing this time to develop our athletes physically, as best we can.”
Hergott has adapted his course and placed extra focus on helping athletes. “For me, this time now becomes a development season where I can coach and supervise their training and make sure we are pushing ourselves in a safe manner without worrying about performance on the weekends.”
On top of a busy training schedule, Hergott’s athletes are pushing themselves in every way. “I feel our athletics department has set our athletes up to have a great fall for honing their skills and developing their intangible assets, like character and resilience.”
Hergott and his colleagues anticipate the future. “We are looking forward to when we can get back to playing a competitive season as we know. We will be ready to roll!”
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.