The Trinity Athletics Department works year-round to keep the Rocks competing in 19 sports.  In this part of a series that lets readers get to know the department members, Rocks Strength and Conditioning Coach Mr. Mike Snyder answered a few questions.

Q: What inspired you to want to coach strength and conditioning?

A: Athletics were a large part of my life for as long as I could remember. I played different sports throughout the year as a kid, and as I got older, I was exposed to strength training, initially by my father and then our strength coach at Trinity while I was a student here. It was then I realized the impact that strength training, along with movement skill and conditioning can have on performance. From that point on, I always enjoyed learning about different ways to train, and when I got to college, I found that I could get an exercise science degree without having to take much math or chemistry, my two worst subjects. At that point I was sold, and I dove all in!

Q: What as a Trinity student prepared you to coach strength and conditioning? 

A: I would say being a student at Trinity prepared me for life, more so than a strength and conditioning coach. Whether the current students realize it or not, they are being taught life skills that will lend themselves to becoming a successful adult, no matter what professional career path they choose to take.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job? 

A: The best part about my job is being around the students every day. Because of my involvement with so many athletic teams, I get to see some students the very first day they walk on to our campus and nearly every day for the next four years. Watching them grow, learn and mature over the course of their time here is a really neat thing.

Q: What makes Trinity athletics special?  

A: Trinity is a Brotherhood. I don’t use that word lightly. I recently went through something that involved a fellow classmate of mine that spoke to that brotherhood. This man needed help with something very serious, and even though we had only spoken a handful of times in the 20 years since we both graduated, I did not think twice about stepping in and helping. Students here who really take in what this school is all about will develop a bond with their classmates that is unbreakable.

Q: What is involved in being the Kentucky State Director of the National High School Strength Coaches Association?

A: As state director for the NHSSCA, I was leading the state in the development of high school strength coaches from around the area. That meant I was in charge of our monthly newsletter, organizing conferences, clinics, and speaking at those events as well as representing our state on a regional and national level by speaking at those larger conferences.

Q: Why is Trinity important to you?

A: Trinity is important to me because a lot of who I am today is heavily influenced by my time at Trinity. Many lessons were taught to me in the classrooms, the playing fields and locker rooms that I spent so much time in. That importance and lessons learned are a big reason I chose to come back and work here. I wanted to impact the young men here in a positive way, just as so many teachers and coaches impacted me while I was a student.