Maureen Ngo

How did you realize you want to be a coach? 

I always had a natural ability to teach and thought of it as a way to solidify what I already knew. I love talking and connecting with others through a love for this sport, so everything just fell into place when I started coaching!

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What is the best part of coaching? 

Seeing the “ahah!” or “ohhh I get it now” moment in the athlete. Weightlifting is a super unique sport where you can practice the same movement and hear the same cues everyday, but when it finally click, it is a true lightbulb moment! It’s like in Mario cart when you hit that square and it boosts you 10 points.

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What have you learned the most about you? 

Coaching has taught me to take a step back and understand the foundations of weightlifting. Understanding how to teach a sport to a novice athlete is much different than coaching an experienced one and to being an athlete yourself! Everyone who steps into the gym come from different athletic backgrounds, mobility restrictions, injuries, heights and sizes, so understanding how to work WITH the athlete and tweaking things so their experience is individualized is key to success.

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How do you inspire your athletes? 

Walk the walk to talk the talk ;)