What makes a man, is it the power in his hands? Is it his quest for glory? Give it all you got, to fight to the top, so we can know your story. That must be it, because this week this Portage Life in the Spotlight is on top of the world! The person that I'm talking about is a man named Ross Bunchek. Bunchek is the new Director of Healthy Living for the Portage Township YMCA and I'm going to tell you his story.
Bunchek was born in St. Charles, Missouri but raised here in Valparaiso. He attended Valparaiso schools and was quite involved in the athletics that were offered. He liked wrestling and football, and during his senior year he got into weight lifting.
“My parents would describe me as fast and goofy. I’m kind of a fun loving goofball,” Bunchek said.
After high school, Bunchek received his undergraduate degree at Carthage College in mathematics (brave guy). His goal was to become a high school teacher, but circumstances caused him to change his tune and he went more the health and fitness route. He played more football at Carthage, but after an injury to his thumb removed him from the field, Bunchek was encouraged to try the track team. From there he got two seasons of track under his belt, and became a two-time division three national qualifier.
After Carthage, Bunchek went to Wayne State College in Nebraska where he received his master’s in exercise science. He participated in track here and became a four-time division two All-American. He also met his fiancé, Victoria, at Wayne State College. She was a thrower on the track and field team for the University of Nebraska. He met her thrigh throwing because their teams competed often. Imagine that. All of this good stuff took place because of a thumb injury.
Before he came to the Portage YMCA, Bunchek worked at the Fallbrook YMCA in Lincoln, Nebraska as the part-time wellness specialist and personal trainer and he volunteered as an assistant coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers track and field team. Why was he in Lincoln, NE? Victoria was there finishing up her schooling so that she could get her teaching certificate, and he went to be with her.
After that, the pair decided that they wanted to come back home to be near their families. Bunchek began looking of jobs in the area and the Director of Healthy Living position was one that he was the most interested in obtaining.
“I grew up around athletics and this is really the first opportunity that I got to do something with it,” Bunchek said. "The thing that really attracted me was that even on my interview I saw that it was a really great place. Sometimes when an organization gets too big you lose the soul of it, but not here…And I liked that fact that things here were so close and family-oriented. It was a win-win everywhere I went.”
His ultimate goal and dream was to become a throws coach. And everyone at the Portage YMCA was and still is in support of that. Along with his position at the Y, Bunchek is able to take on his newly appoint position as a part-time Assistant Throws and Strength Coach at Valparaiso University. For those of you who are unaware (like I was) of what a throws coach is, let me enlighten you. A throws coach deals with all throwing events in track and field like shot put, discus, javelin and hammer. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
“I appreciate that the Portage YMCA is being supportive of my dream,” Bunchek said.
Right now, Bunchek is working to make some awesome and drastic changes at the YMCA. The weight room is going to be repainted, he’s hiring new instructors, there’s a new group exercise schedule that has an additional 19 classes in the mix and a whole lot more. You can see the new schedule on the Portage YMCA’s Facebook page. In the future, Bunchek hopes to get more involved with the local schools to promote youth fitness.
“I’m a big advocate for youth fitness, even if you’re not going to be involved in a sport, being involved in a competitive type of physical activity is important,” Bunchek said, “It wasn’t until college that I knew what a big boost of confidence it can be. Health doesn’t go away it’s a constant. I know how much of a comfort exercise can be, and no matter what the group -adults, kids, weekend warriors- you always have to be in motion and challenging yourself.”
In his free time, Bunchek likes to participate in the Scottish Highland Games with his fiancé, watch sports (he loves football and hockey), fish, be outdoors, and he and Victoria are currently planning their upcoming nuptials which will take place this October.
In closing, Bunchek leaves us with words of wisdom that we should all apply to our daily lives. It’s a quote that Tom Hanks states as Jimmy Dugan in that that great baseball movie “A League of Their Own”.
“’It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.’ Nothing that it worth anything good comes easy,” Bunchek said. “Whether it’s marriage, a job, kids… It all takes hard work and dedication and that’s why it is so satisfying when you complete it."
Can you see why I wanted to interview him? The Portage YMCA has another great person to add to their already great staff. If you want to know more about Ross Bunchek and the Portage Township YMCA, visit their website and tell them PortageLife sent you.