Jody Potosky

Jody coaching up someone on the hockey team. (Dimond Hockey website)

When the word 'hero' comes to mind, the characteristics of a hero are the first thing that I think of. In my opinion (and surely a few others), a hero has to be: a great leader, strong (either mentally, physically, or even both), confident, trustworthy, possess great communication skills, have some sort of father/mother figure, etc. Although I can easily name a superhero, or a historical figure, I'd rather talk about a real-life hero that has had a major impact on my life in the past several years. His name is Jody Potosky.

Jody competing at the annual Highland Games (Facebook)

Jody Potosky has a full-time day job, but that's now how I know him. Potosky is a part-time sports/athletic trainer and teaches people (normally high school athletes) the proper way to lift weights, and then strengthens the people; not just physically, but mentally as well. Potosky stands at about 6'4", and weighs almost 300 lbs. He basically looks like Lou Ferrigno in his prime. Potosky trains the A.J. Dimond High School hockey team, the Eagle River High School wrestling team, formerly trained the Dimond High football team (where I first met him), and he trains some other hockey kids around the state. A couple of people Jody has trained/coached in hockey are potentially getting drafted in the NHL Draft in their draft years. Now, Jody is not the main reason they're going to the pro's, but he is part of it.

Me on the right, and fellow

In Jody Potosky's workouts, one does not just learn proper form in weightlifting, and gain muscle mass, they also gain intelligence and life lessons almost every time they attend. To me, I consider Jody as my guidance counselor/life coach. Whether it be school, sports, or even girls, it seems Jody has been through it all, and most times I always go to him for advice. There are times when he tells me what to do, or what will happen, but sometimes I do the complete opposite. And guess what happened? Jody was right all along.

To break down Jody Potosky into my characteristics of a hero, Jody is a lone trainer in his business "Ironwill Athletics." Being a lone wolf, Jody has to be a leader, and is. He is also both physically and mentally strong. Mentally strong because he knows how to coach perfect form and sees mistakes that others don't. He is confident because he knows what he offers is right. He is trustworthy because a lot of people tell him their personal lives and he doesn't tell anyone else. He has great communication skills, and finally he is a father figure.

In conclusion, Jody Potosky is not just a sports trainer that you'd find at a local gym, he offers much more than that. This essay broke down Jody Potosky by offering some background information, while also showing the characteristics he offers as my hero. When I could've picked an easier fictional topic, I decided to choose someone that I know personally because I can relate better. Even when I go on to college this fall, I still plan on staying on contact with Jody.