athletics running a raceMeet Nick and Sloane, two of the D10’s fiercest competitors.  Nick, a former collegiate football player, and Sloane, a life-long athlete, both hold the D10 competition close to their heart and train day in and day out to help raise money for pediatric cancer research.

 

PROFESSION: 

Sloane Klonsky: Vice President, Short Duration Sales at Morgan Stanley

Nick Fincher:  Institutional sales at PIMCO

FITNESS/ATHLETIC BACKGROUND:

SK: I have loved playing sports and been a competitive athlete my entire life. I was a 12 season athlete in high school, playing on the tennis, basketball, and badminton teams (yes, Badminton – and a Nassau County Champion thanks to my genius tennis coach!). In college, I played for a year on the women’s basketball team and club basketball after.

NF: Former NASM personal trainer & Big Ten offensive lineman (aka former fat boy)

HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT THE D10?  

SK: About 2 years ago, after several years of long investment banking hours, I decided it was time to get back in shape.  I started working with a personal trainer at Equinox who was training another client for an event called “the Decathlon.”  I did some research and saw that, in The D10, participants compete while raising money for pediatric cancer research.  

NF: I had recently moved to NYC from Boston several years ago to take a job on PIMCO’s sales desk when I caught a glimpse of The D10’s highlights on CNBC

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SIGN UP?
SK: 1-2 months prior to my “get back in shape” epiphany, a colleague and good friend lost his son to cancer.  I had been looking for a way to contribute to the cause and, given my athletic /competitive nature, The D10 had my name written all over it  – I signed up that day!

NF: A colleague recruited me a few years ago and I was immediately drawn to The D10 community’s competitive energy and the cause of creating awareness and fundraising for pediatric cancer.

HOW DOES TRAINING FOR A SPECIFIC EVENT DIFFER FROM YOUR NORMAL TRAINING ROUTINE?

SK: Training for The D10 has not been like anything I’ve done before.  First, it requires dedication not just to training, but also in most areas of your life (diet, sleep, recovery, social life, etc).  2nd, prior to The D10, I had not done any weight-lifting or strength training – I focused on cardio and, to be honest, was nervous about looking bulky. Preparing for The D10 required me to start lifting heavy – I now feel stronger, healthier, and more confident, and couldn’t love it more.  3rd –  preparing for a competition where you’ve set goals and have friends, family and donors watching puts the pressure on to train your hardest….and also motivates you to go to the gym/track, finish that last rep, etc when it’s the last thing you want to do.

NF: My normal training routine doesn’t involve track workouts or plyometrics, which are a large part of the training for The D10. Also, to be competitive in the events, I have found doing a lot of heavy Olympic lifts, such as cleans, squats, and deadlift, help out a lot with my explosiveness

WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING REGIMEN FOR THE D10 COMPETITION?

SK: Because of my limited weight-lifting experience, I decided to work with a personal trainer.  I see her 2-3x a week, where we focus on building strength, footwork, and mobility/technique.  Outside of that, I try to go to Tone House every other week and run/sprint 2x a week

NF: My schedule can be erratic with lots of impromptu travel, so I try to get in training sessions whenever I can. Ideally, I try to get in a good track workout, two lifting sessions, and everyone’s favorite, a conditioning session every week.  It looks like something like this:

 

  1. Track workout – I’ll warmup with a mile jog and then focus on 200m/400m sprints, 40-yard starts, and practice for the shuttle run and football throw
  2. Leg day – Cleans, deadlifts, weighted jumping squats & lunges
  3. Upper Body day – Pull-ups, dips & dumbbell bench press
  4. Conditioning day – Any Tone House class will do (for me at least).  If I can’t make it, interval sprints on the rowing machine and full body workout circuit training do the trick

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THIS YEARS COMPETITION?

SK: I’d like to beat my numbers from last year in all or most events.  I injured my wrist last March, which really impacted my training overall and performance last year in the upper body events. With my wrist better and 2+ years of training, I’m hoping to seriously step it up this year!

NF: My goals are twofold: (1) Place in the top 10 overall, and (2), to run the 400m in under 57 seconds

WHAT IS YOUR BEST EVENT IN THE D10? 

SK: Dips –  I’ve been working hard at this and made a lot of progress.  Hoping to do 23-25 (up from just 11 last year)

NF:  Last year, my best event was the vertical jump with a leap of 38 inches

HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT TONE HOUSE? 

SK: Through The D10’s training program and some friends who told me it was “the hardest workout of their life.”

NF: Over lunch with a friend, he told that he almost collapsed in his morning workout – during the warm-up

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST TONE HOUSE CLASS LIKE?SK: I first went after last year’s D10 and thought I would dominate. I could not be more wrong – I was shocked, in awe of the others that made it look easy and thinking “when will this end ”…….we hadn’t even finished the warm-up.  But the support, camaraderie, and challenge, got me through it and kept me coming back.

NF: I arrived ready to conquer the world and left a humbled man.  It’s what brought me back!

 I arrived ready to conquer the world and left a humbled man.  It’s what brought me back!

IF YOU COULD HIT THE TURF WITH ANYONE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

SK: Serena Williams – Greatest athlete ever? Let’s see how she does on the Turf.

NF: Barry Sanders – he was my hero as a child and I imagine he would be a beast on the Turf.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG TO BLAST DURING TRAINING?

SK: Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil

NF: I’m a fan of what is fast becoming “classic” hip-hop: anything with Tupac, Biggie, Eminem and Jay Z. Some of the new stuff catches my ear, but I’m biased to the classics.

 

Come out to Columbia University’s Wien Stadium on Sunday, June 11th at 10 am to check out The D10 Decathlon!

 

Interested in contributing your story to our next Meet The Team profile?
Please email us at steph.holm@tonehouse.com with MEET THE TEAM in the subject line to nominate yourself or a teammate.

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