Ryan Dahlen pursued his dream of training professional athletes and gained the organization and communication skills to translate training across ability levels.
How did you get your internship?
SPEAR was a facility I was already familiar with because a lot of my fellow athletes and friends went there consistently. When I was using Handshake to look for internships, I stumbled across an internship opening at SPEAR. I reached out to the recruiters at Spear and from there we scheduled a call. On the call I told them about myself: where I was from, my major and where I went to school, my athletic background and my want to be a personal trainer. I received an offer after the call and decided to pursue it.
Why did you choose this internship?
As an athlete, I enjoyed the process of getting better each day, but also learning about the process of recovery. SPEAR gave me a perfect opportunity to be around high performance athletes to see how hard they work and be able to support their training. SPEAR is aligned with my goals of training athletes to become the best athletes they can become. I believed that SPEAR would be the best opportunity for me to grow and learn towards what I want to do.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
At SPEAR, I shadowed and supported other personal trainers, assisted in managing equipment, and studied the theory SPEAR follows in order to strategize training plans for our athletes. I was able to work with athletes one-on-one in group settings, starting workouts for a professional to warm them up, then making sure all the equipment was set up prior to working out, and making sure SPEARS clients were getting the high quality treatment they deserve. In addition to being on the workout floor, there were times where myself and the other interns watched videos and read books about exercise theory to see how we can apply those tactics in every workout.
What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship selection?
The ability to train professional athletes was a blessing, but I was able to learn from those professional athletes and use those techniques with athletes that are in college, high school, or even grade school. I want to teach all age groups both in the gym and on the field but it starts with learning and gaining knowledge from professionals training at the highest level. SPEAR allowed me to have these conversations and they really helped me grow and gain a perspective on how and what I can teach to younger athletes or anyone showing up to the gym.
What was your favorite part of your internship?
All the other trainers around the gym were always open to questions, interns requests for help, and were friendly to other trainers and the clients themselves, creating a great atmosphere to work in. Being able to talk to professional athletes about what they've gone through their whole lives and hearing how they accomplish their goals and dreams motivates me to achieve mine and, more importantly, help others achieve theirs.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
I always ask myself why I want to do something or why I don't. I wanted to be a personal trainer before my internship. As an athlete, my goal was to always win and be the best version of myself while also being the best teammate to my teammates and coaches. During my internship at SPEAR, I saw the work athletes put in day in and day out, who shows up consistently, and who is trying to push themselves to be the best version of themselves. Having this experience opened up my eyes and helped me realize that helping one person achieve their goals might not change the world, but it can change the world for that one person.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and begin their internship?
A lot of students get scared or down when they think about the word “internship”, something I can attest to, but they are the best way for you to start your career. Having an internship gives you the experience of work life, the ability to learn and meet new people and create a network. The internship experience shouldn't be seen as something simply mandatory, but rather something that could help change or confirm your perspective on what you want to do in your life.