MY STORY
Doug is an enthusiastic and dedicated individual. Doug earned his Bachelor's degree in 2010 and began coaching right away. Having over a decade of coaching experience, and having spent time at the middle and high school and collegiate age groups, Doug has turned his focus to Strength & Conditioning. Doug is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength & Conditioning Association, and spends a lot of time developing programming to accommodate the large variety of students and student athletes he trains. Doug is without a doubt an integral part of any coaching staff and will deliver way more than what anyone expects. Doug is married and he and his wife, Christy, have two kids, Logan and Abigail.
It's about time we rise to our occasion.
If you'd like to learn a little about me and what I have been through...
I grew up in a small town called Lewisburg PA. Not much happened there, really. If you know of Bucknell University, that's about all it really has going for it...
My upbringing wasn't super special. My dad worked all the time, my mom bought me everything I wanted and I, in many ways, was an only child. I had half siblings but the closest to me in age was 7.5 years older.
My dad participated in the Ironman races nearly every October from the time I was born until I was in middle school. The big picture was that my dad was always "doing" something and sadly, as a result (among many other things I am sure) my parents divorced the summer of 2000 - right before I went into 7th grade. And I spent many days alone in my room wasting away playing video games. Don't get me wrong, FIFA and MADDEN were great babysitters... but it wasn't until high school came around that I began seeing I needed to be more motivated.
The 4 years of HS were nothing short of challenging and ended up very rewarding. I surrounded myself with friends who were positive influences in my life - I am blessed to say many were part of my decision to attend youth group and church, and ultimately, claiming Jesus Christ as a my Lord and Savior when I was 15. Ages 14-16 were very pivotal years in my life. The independence of being able to drive, a newly formed perspective of life through the eyes of faith and the desire to give my life value motivated me to commit to Christ and a Christian College after high school.
I went on to Geneva College, initially majoring in Education, switching then to Pre-Physical Therapy and finally setting on Youth Ministry; College was where I would learn what I didn't want to do, it was where I met my future bride, it was where I made mistakes, learned from them and grew in my own faith.
Post college, though, a lot changed.
Early on in my professional career, I worked as a Director for Youth Ministries but found a greater calling in coaching. No matter what I did, uncertainty and adversity had shown themselves in any profession I had. Before I became a strength coach, I struggled to find a true foothold in what I felt called to do and who I felt God was calling me to be. For some time after youth ministry, I served as a Drug & Alcohol Counselor and after a few positions and 4 years, Eventually, I would leave that world for good.
I felt a strong push to serve in athletics - I always had. In 2017, especially with my almost decade of soccer coaching at the time, I had the push to take the risk and spend the time chasing what it was I finally felt called to. As mentioned, I left full time work and a 40K salary for a 4 month 5K coaching stint. It turned into becoming a Coaching Director for a soccer club, which then led to meeting other coaches around the nation at coaching license courses, moving from club to college and at the same time, Strength & Conditioning surfaced. Strength and Conditioning was unique and familiar - My weight training in high school was minimal; in college, much more but still no where near it should've been as a collegiate athlete... but I didn't have a coach who mandated it and I didn't have extreme experience with Olympic lifts. So, to pursue the path of a strength coach was a bit foreign. but I was up for the task. after spending loads of time as a sport coach.
After several failed attempts to find a career, I landed on strength and conditioning in 2018 and began re-learning more about what it takes to become certified. Eventually, after months of studying, I failed the certification exam Fall 2018 and that oh so familiar feeling surfaced... 'you're not good enough and you won't make it'. Despite these struggles, I pressed forward - I knew what to review from the textbook and eventually just over a year after beginning the process, I passed the exam and became a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). And thank God I continued to press into this. Scripture reminded me I will endure trials of many kinds and that I won't reach my goal unless I push through them.
With the years that have passed since I first claimed Christ as my savior, and left college life, I look back sometimes and see where I started to now where I currently stand. I have served as a middle school and high school soccer coach. I have coached multiple club teams at multiple different levels. I coached collegiate soccer for two years and for one of those years was the interim head coach and ran strength and conditioning for the collegiate team I was coaching. Now, 2023, I know and have networked with a lot of coaches around Beaver County and the Greater Pittsburgh area and beyond. Many, I call friends. Over time, I have developed my own unique training philosophy and principles, annual programming and training methodologies, all aimed at syncing the body, mind and soul in preparation for competing against the best athletes in the region, state and country. And this wasn't developed overnight. It was developed through every experience I had since entering the professional world in 2010.
I believe that a rigorous training system not only develops physical strength, but also challenges the mental stamina required to compete at the highest levels of your game or sport. In addition, knowing what you're up against and being right minded for sport aids all psychological aspects of life to push through those moments of doubt, fear, and uncertainty... With Miller Training Systems, I keep up with the latest training techniques and training tactics, and consistently push my athletes to their breaking point all while remembering and utilizing those things that work.
Too often I hear "You need to do this" and "You'll be stronger and pain free if you do that". Our world is saturated with gimmicks and the next coolest VBT device. I wasn't necessarily given a "bad hand" but from the start I had to figure things out for myself; I found my way to where I am now. And, what I do now is invest in the ages of folks where I grew the most in my own life and build relationships with others through Christ. Coaching has become a ministry and a way to connect with others to help them reach their full potential in life. Even if it's not to play a sport in college, the goal is to learn about ourselves and how we can life our life to its fullest!
In the process, I continue to learn a great deal about myself and how to train athletes treating them as unique, as people, and children of God.
Becoming a Miller Training Systems Athlete is about getting you to peak performance; an attitude and a behavior that requires dedication, discipline, faith, consistency and character.
Thanks for reading.
Always, we will scratch and claw our way through the mess. And, we will rise together.
D | M