Passion and Perseverence – Coach Spotlight Erin Constantin
Coach Erin is our longest tenured coach and has been a huge part of Get Fit NH Concord’s success. Her enthusiasm and passion are infectious. BAM! Her story of persevering through injury and never giving up is both instructive and inspiring. No matter how many times she has been down, she always gets back up!
I have always been involved in sports. My main sport and first love was soccer but in 8th grade the varsity track coach at my high school decided that since I was a goalkeeper and had upper body strength I would do well with throwing the Javelin, Discus, and Shot-put.
While practicing with the javelin in very slippery conditions I dislocated my shoulder. That was followed by months of intensive physical therapy and eventually surgery in the spring of my 8th grade year. Following four months of recovery, I was allowed to return to soccer and get ready to be the starting goalkeeper for the varsity team.
Within the first week of practice I tore my shoulder up again and had to have another surgery. After recovering, I played soccer all year round every chance I had until the end of my junior year of high school. During my junior year of high school I suffered 6 concussions and the doctors advised me to discontinue contact sports. I was looking for something to stay active during my senior year of high school so I joined a local gym and started working with a personal trainer. I fell in love with weight lifting and got in great shape which helped prepare me for Rowing at the University of New Hampshire.
Through my love of sports and fitness and battling through injuries, I decided to major in Exercise Science at UNH. I knew I wanted to help other people achieve their health and fitness goals. I also wanted to help others reduce their risk of injuries. While at UNH I had the privilege of being a member of the Rowing team for 2 years, but rowing contributed to severe back strain. It was even more discouraging when after graduation from college; I injured my knee and had to have yet another surgery followed by a 4 month recovery. Let’s just say, I became good friends with my orthopedic surgeon in Boston!
I can certainly empathize with professional athletes and how injuries impact their careers. While there are times I wish I didn’t have so many injuries, I think it has prepared me for my career in health and fitness and given me an ability to understand what my clients go through when they have injuries. My past has enabled me to understand the human body better and how it responds to different exercises due to orthopedic issues. It is also why I am so passionate about the Functional Movement Screen process to help reduce the risk of injuries to others. I truly love working with people and helping them achieve their goals. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people at Get Fit NH!
Quick Facts:
Hometown: Foxboro, MA. Home of the New England Patriots! Born in Denver, CO. where I was a young Denver Broncos fan before moving to Foxboro when I was 4.
Sports teams: Huge Patriots fan!!! Also love Manchester United (soccer team in England).
Animals: We currently have a cat but I LOVE dogs and take every chance I can get to dog sit.
Hobbies: Lifting weights, hiking, reading, spending time with my husband, friends and family.
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