Hi Everyone! My name is Jen Norton, and I am the newest addition to the team here at Union Fitness. Although I was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, I spent much of my childhood bouncing around between different parts of the country. By the time I was starting kindergarten, my family and I had lived in 4 different cities across 3 states. I spent most of my elementary school years growing up under the Arizona sun in the suburbs of Phoenix before my family relocated for a final time. This time to the sprawling suburbia of of North Texas where I graduated from high school alongside over 800 of my fellow classmates – a class so large I remember asking myself “who the heck is that?” on more than one occasion as names were read out at our graduation ceremony. After graduating high school, I moved across the country to attend the University of Pittsburgh. A Class of Covid graduate, I earned my B.A. in political science in 2020 and have been a proud resident of Pittsburgh’s North Side and member of Union Fitness ever since.

 

Growing up, my parents put my older brother and I in just about every sport under the sun. From soccer to gymnastics to ballet to swimming to karate, I tried pretty much anything I saw my brother doing. I fell in love with gymnastics and ended up dedicating 15 years of my life to the sport before an onslaught of poorly timed injuries ended my dreams of college gymnastics at age 18. As it would turn out, coming up short of my goal would be just the stroke of luck I needed to fall in love with a new sport. I discovered powerlifting during my freshman year in college, and now 6 years later, I am still proudly obsessed with picking up heavy circles.

 

Since competing in my first meet back in January of 2018, powerlifting has introduced me to a whole plethora of kind people from all over the country and even from around the world. It has helped me form a unique connection with my body and allowed me to cultivate a passion for inclusivity in fitness spaces. I truly can’t wait to meet even more friendly community members as a staff member here at Union Fitness!

 

Here are a few random fun facts about me that I couldn’t figure out how to neatly fit into this bio:

• I am obsessed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers
• I am an avid home baker and like to spend what little free time I have developing new recipes
• I love to travel and have been to 5 countries and 32 different states. My favorite place I have ever visited is Iceland!

 

Hi Everyone! My name is Justin Zak and while I just started working here at Union, I’ve been a member since 2017. I’ve lived most of my life in Pittsburgh, going to Allderdice High School and then Washington & Jefferson College. Growing up I played almost every sport imaginable, but decided to focus solely on baseball when I started high school. Working out usually goes hand in hand with sports once you reach a certain age, and I started my freshman year after breaking my leg in the second game of the season. I would awkwardly crutch down to the small weight room in our neighborhood community center and my dad would run through simple workouts with me, teaching me the proper form, rep schemes, and different exercises…I’ve been hooked ever since.

 

I solely worked out to hone my craft and become the best baseball player I could be. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that my training started to become more powerlifting focused and it’s been that way to this day. I’m so thankful to have found Union Fitness right after I graduated from college in 2017. I was welcomed with open arms and everyone was so helpful right away. I finally found the lifting community I was looking for. I’ve done three meets so far, met a ton of amazing people, and formed great friendships. I’ve learned so much about training, both the physical and the mental aspects. I’m excited to now be working here with an incredible staff and looking forward to meeting even more awesome people!

 

A couple of fun facts about me:

• I love to travel and have been to over 20 countries
• I lived in Australia for two years
• I’m a twin, but we look nothing alike
• I’m getting married to my amazing fiancé Stephanie (who is also a twin!!) in September this year

 

Justin

Hi everyone! I am a senior student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh. I am majoring in Exercise Science and will be continuing my career in the field of nursing. I plan on becoming a nurse anesthetist in the future. I have been playing lacrosse for 15 years, specifically goalie.

 

Specialties

– Sport specific work

– Approachable

– Experienced Lifting

 

What I have learned

– Systems used such as team builder and mind/body

– Stance used when coaching

– How to cue people when teaching them specific movements

– Correct positioning when lifting

 

What I still want to learn

– Find my voice and feel more comfortable coaching

– Business side of the gym

– Technique/ form behind major lifts (started to learn already)

– Personal training

– Writing programs

 

Looking forward to meeting you all here at Union Fitness!

 

Gabriella

Hello Everyone,

 

I know that I have met some of you, but my name is Zain Skalos and I was just hired here at Union as Lead Personal Trainer. I was born in Pittsburgh and grew up just a little north of here in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. I graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 2014 and shortly after my graduation I enlisted in the United States Navy. During my time in the Navy, I was an Aviation Structural Mechanic and had the opportunity to travel the world. I was able to visit several countries such as Brazil, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, and many more. On these deployments, I found my passion for fitness and realized that I did not want to be in the military for my whole life. That is where I decided to get out after my 4-year enlistment and go to college at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

During my time at Pitt, I competed in two men’s physique shows, competed in several powerlifting meets, and got my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. While getting my bachelor’s, I was given the opportunity to intern at Union. Ever since the first week of my internship and working with Dahveed, Cj, Toria, Curtis, Todd and many others, I knew that I wanted to work here. Luckily, Toria gave me a chance and I was able to start working at the front desk. And from there it was history.

 

I am very grateful for all the learning experiences and opportunities that they all have given me, and I cannot thank each staff member here at UF enough. Currently, I am in the process of getting my Masters Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Pitt and working on my own personal health. I love all Pittsburgh Sports (especially the Steelers and Pitt sports), working out, hanging out with friends, and watching movies or shows. I am very excited to start my position here and to get to know each and every person that is a member at UF. Feel free to stop me if we haven’t met so that we can connect on a more personal level. Let’s get in the trenches this year and walk the walk! #h2p #golers

 

Two Truths and one lie. If you guess right then you get a complimentary high five from myself!

1. I am the oldest of three boys. My poor mother.
2. I have seen Nelly the rapper live in the Phillipines. #thrillainmanila
3. I was in the ROTC in high school. Cadet for life!

 

Zain

Curtis has officially resigned his full time position here at UF, and now he has been gone for one week. I wanted to take a moment today to publicly thank him for all he has done. Too often we do not thank those around us, and those who we spend time with.

 

Curtis joined UF in 2019 (just a few months before I did), and he made a huge impact. When I was brought on as GM here at Union I immediately recognized how Curtis connected with so many of our members. I told him recently that I was jealous of his empathetic way of coaching. I doubt that most people think of a person who deadlifts 800 lbs and thinks, “this person is really going to understand what it’s like to be a beginner.” Curtis is one of the few people I know who can be an expert and still understand how it feels to be a beginner.

 

I am very proud of the team we have built here at UF and I have not doubt that we will continue to serve everyone who walks through our doors. Curtis moving on from Full-time to Part-time from Union will be a challenge, and we are up to that challenge. As Charles Darwin said,

 

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

 

It is time for a change and we will miss Curtis and all he brought to us. We will also attempt to add on to the strengths he left behind, while adding our own unique flair to UF.

For those of you who may not know, I was born and raised in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. One of those places where very few people ever leave. My Wife, Liz, grew up here in Pittsburgh in the North Hills and moved down to Maryland for a teaching position at the local high school. We both met each other on the first week of our new jobs. Me as a Personal Trainer, and her as a High School Math teacher who became a member of the gym where I worked. She always had ambitions of returning to Pittsburgh, while I swore that I’d never leave home. 

 

Over the first few years that we were together, we made monthly trips up here to the city. Every time we were in town, we would make it a priority to stop by Union Fitness for a training session. Over that time, we met some absolutely amazing people who are now some of our closest friends. Each time we would leave to head back to Maryland, I would ponder what it might be like to live here. Each time, I grew closer and closer to making the jump. Being away from my family for extended periods of time is hard for me, but I knew that I needed to grow, and I knew that this City was going to help me to do that.

 

One day in January of 2019, I came home after a 12 hour day of training clients, looked at Liz, and told her that we should move to Pittsburgh. She asked if I was serious, but she already knew the answer by the look on my face and the tone in my voice. It was time. So we decided that she would finish out the school year, and I would finish my time at the gym. We decided that we would head up at the end of June. During that time, neither one of us had a job lined up here in Pittsburgh. I was willing to work wherever I needed to in order to make ends meet, and we knew that Liz would have no trouble finding a teaching position, even if it took some time.

 

One month before our move, I got a phone call from my good friend Casey Williams, who at the time was the Manager of Union Fitness. He told me that he needed a Director of Personal Training, and asked me if I’d accept, but he already knew the answer. It felt like it was meant to be. When I finally started at Union, my goals were to be the best Director, co worker, professional, and friend that I could possibly be. Every day for the past 4 years, that was everything that mattered to me. Since coming on board around the same time I did, Todd has trusted me and has given me the opportunity to grow and evolve, while also passing along the wisdom that he has acquired throughout his career. And for that, I cannot thank him enough. My co workers have been some of the best I’ve ever had. Because of them, there wasn’t one day that actually felt like work. They’ve believed in me, just as I’ve believed in them. I’m extremely grateful for all that they have done for me. The amazing members of Union Fitness are the reason that I get out of bed every morning. Seeing everyone grow and progress into the best versions of themselves while building the confidence to take on the world is the most gratifying thing that I’ve been a part of. I am forever grateful for meeting and working with everything single person.

 

Unfortunately, my time as the Director of Personal Training/ Customer Engagement here at Union Fitness has come to an end, and it is time for me to pursue the next step of my journey. You will still see me in the gym working out and training a few clients, so please do not hesitate to come up and ask me for help, advice, or just to catch up. Pittsburgh has become my home, and I look forward to continuing to grow with each and every one of you.

 

Curtis