From Langley to Texas and back to Langley once again.
That is the path taken by Jarid Vaughan.
Vaughan has made the difficult decision to step away from competitive track and field — he has won the B.C. senior men’s provincial title in both the 100m and 200m events every year from 2007 to 2013.
“It was definitely hard to walk away,” admitted the 28-year-old.
“It is basically all I have ever known, to compete and then train.”
For the past few years, Vaughan had been training towards representing Canada at the Olympics.
In 2008 Vaughan finished fifth in the 200m. A top-three finish would have qualified him for the Beijing Games.
And then in 2012, prior to the trials, a pulled hamstring severely hampered his training, and he again failed to qualify.
He will now instead shift his focus to training other athletes with the Langley Mustangs Track and Field Club as well as part of his new business, Vaughan’s Fitness and Conditioning.
The business offers both personal training as well as group training sessions for athletes of all walks of life, whether they are casual gym goers, recreational or elite.
“It was a really, really hard decision,” Vaughan said. “But I think by keeping myself busy and also still giving back by coaching, it will feed that competitive thirst.
“And I will still be around track and field.”
Since joining the sport at the age of 10, and being a member of the Mustangs throughout his teenage years, Vaughan earned himself a scholarship to the University of Texas Arlington, an NCAA Division 1 program.
He joined the Mavericks track and field program after graduating from R.E. Mountain Secondary in 2003.
Following his graduation from school, Vaughan spent a couple of years working with the Mavericks as the speed and power coach for the sprinters.
He graduated from the university in 2010 with a degree in exercise science.
“I have always been interested in exercise and fitness and the better knowledge of my body helped me do better in my sport as well.”
“And I have always liked to help people,” he added. “I believe in a healthy and active lifestyle and it all just came together where I was using my experience through sport and my education to help others and make a living out of it.”
Over the past few years while he was training for his own track and field career, Vaughan had been working on the side as a personal trainer.
And earlier this month, he officially opened up his new business, which he runs out of The Gym at High Point.
He also designed his own website.
Vaughan offers personal training to the casual person who just wants to get into shape all the way to high performance athletes.
In addition to running his company out of the south Langley facility, Vaughan also manages the exclusive private gym.
And PacificSport Fraser Valley has partnered with Vaughan’s Fitness & Conditioning as part of their GymWorks program.
The program gives registered PacificSport athletes free access to local fitness facilities in their home communities without having to make a long-term commitment of purchasing a gym membership to one facility.
There are eight gyms in Langley which provide access to PacificSport athletes.
