Meet Eric Vishnevetsky & Brian Klapow, Penn State pals and Tone House Athletes, competing in this year’s D10 competition together. Inseparable since college (their words not ours), these two Athletes find time between work and fitness to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Through their Sweat Equity Series, Eric and Brian brought their friends together to spend some time on the Turf for a good cause.
Profession
Brian Klapow: I recently started as a Law Clerk at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, but I’ll be an associate when I get admitted to the bar in a few weeks.
Eric Vishnevetsky: I am currently a Senior Wealth Strategy Associate with the Abrams Group at UBS
Fitness / Athletic Background
BK: I don’t really have much of an athletic background besides playing some hockey growing up. I started lifting weights in high school and my interest in fitness really took off from there.
EV: I played sports my entire life, basketball, soccer, and volleyball, but really started taking fitness seriously in college and afterwards when I moved to New York City.
How did you first hear about the D10?
BK: I think this story starts for the both of us far before the D10. This begins with our four years at Penn State. As Penn State students, we were exposed to what is commonly known as THON practically from day one. THON is a year-long fundraiser that culminates in a 46-hour dance marathon in support of the Four Diamonds Fund whose mission is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
EV: To piggyback off of Brian, looking back, one of the greatest accomplishments of my Penn State career was actually being selected to represent our fraternity and participate in this 46-hour dance marathon as a Senior. It was one of the hardest, yet gratifying, experiences of my entire life. Walking away from Penn State, I knew this wasn’t the end. I committed to myself that I wouldn’t stop fighting until we were dancing because we found the cure, not because we were looking for it.
That’s pretty incredible that the two of you have stayed committed to this cause. Eric, this is your second year competing, so how did you initially hear about the D10?
EV: I first heard about the D10 when I was an intern at UBS in Summer of 2014 from someone who is now a good friend of mine, Rob Befumo. Rob is both a competitor and a cancer survivor himself. His story was an inspiration to me back then as much as it as now. But it wasn’t until I started working out at Tone House in the winter of 2017 that the D10 reentered my life.
Joining the Tone House community gave me a new sense of confidence athletically. It also introduced me to a group of like-minded individuals who looked to elevate each other personally and professionally. A lot of these people were also competitors in the D10. They pushed me to sign up in the fall of 2017 and the rest is history.
Brian, what motivated you to join Eric in his sophomore season?
BK: I spend a lot of time (probably too much) with Eric, so I got an up-close seat to his efforts during his first go at the D10. It was pretty amazing to see how motivated he was to make a difference for such an important cause. Seeing people from all over come out to support him resonated with me, and knowing his plans to form a team this year struck me as a great opportunity to get involved. Hearing the incredible goal of raising 100K for the kids made it an easy decision to team up. Now I’m ready and eager to play my part on this journey.
Eric, you started working out at Tone House in the winter of 2017. Could you both describe how you heard about Tone House and your first workout at the House?
EV: I heard about Tone House through a friend of mine who hyped the class up to be the hardest workout in New York City. With my expectations properly set, I started with a 101 and was forever grateful I made that decision. Easing into the class made me fall in love with the experience that much more and then 100 classes later I can confidently say I’m hooked.
BK: My first Tone House class was in June of 2017. I heard about it through Eric, who described it as the toughest workout he’s ever been to. To put it mildly, that was an understatement. My first class, a Total Body day, ended early with me rushing to the bathroom to throw up. A little discouraging, but not the end of the story. I came back for a Lower Body day class…and ended with my face in the same toilet. It took me until my third class to finally make it through the full program, I haven’t looked back since.
This being your first D10, what does your training regimen look like?
BK: My training regimen didn’t really come together until our first D5 event when I realized I had to tweak some things in order to get myself into competitive shape. Since then, I’ve incorporated more weight lifting into my weekly routine, with a specific emphasis on lifting that will help get me ready for the D10. I’ll try and get a lift in twice a week, and spend the other three weekdays (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) at Tone House. Over the weekend I try and get away from the gym as much as possible, which usually means ending up on a run outside or in a yoga studio. I actually ran the NYC Half Marathon this year, which was the longest I’d ever run in my life.
Eric, Given you have done this before, what are you doing differently this year than last from a training perspective?
EV: I think the one thing I had going for me last year was the amount I went to Tone House. Training here 2 – 3 times a week got me in great conditioning shape. My biggest takeaway from last year is the importance of hitting a physical track, so I have begun to incorporate the track more into my workouts and will continue to ramp that up as we get closer to June 8th.
As a team, what do you hope to accomplish this year, both on the field and off?
BK: Our team has set three goals for ourselves. Raise $100,000, receive 1,000 donations, and workout with 300 of our friends through our Sweat Equity Series.
EV: At the end of the day, our goal is to make as big of an impact as possible. We know that if we achieve these goals it will have been through building a community that is working towards the common goal of finding a cure for pediatric cancer while getting some work in along the way.
Last question for both, if you could hit the Turf with anyone, who would it be?
BK: If I could work out with anyone, it would be Jake Johnson, because New Girl is the best tv show ever.
EV: As a Penn Stater this one is easy. As an Eagles fan not as much. I would love to hit the Turf with Saquon Barkley. If anyone can help make that happen let us know!
Catch Brian and Eric on June 8th as they compete at the D10 to raise money for pediatric cancer research.