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Expanding The Ecosystem: New Expertise, Same Athlete-First Mission 
The Athlete Lab Expands Athlete Support Team with Ari Ronick, Jamie Truppi, a second location, new initiatives and more

Hailey, ID — October 10, 2025 — The Athlete Lab is taking the next step in its evolution as a leading ecosystem for athlete development — expanding its Athlete Support Team driving the pillars of Strength & Speed, Nutrition, Injury Prevention & Recovery, and Mental Performance. This evolution reflects a commitment to serve motivated athletes with coaching built on trust, data, and proven expertise.

STRENGTH & SPEED

We’re thrilled to welcome Ari Ronick to The Athlete Lab team, bringing new depth to our data-driven, science-backed approach to training. Ari is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and will function as our VALD movement assessment lead supporting athletes with baseline testing, on-going monitoring, and return-to-play programming. (VALD is a top-rate company in athletic support and analysis tools using personalized data to drive intentional programming for each athlete). Ari was Pitching Coach for the Seattle Mariners, now operates a clinic Ronick PT & Performance, and competed as a professional and D1 collegiate baseball player — a blend of elite athletic and applied clinical experience that elevates how we support each athlete through the performance continuum.

Andrew (“Wris”), Lead Trainer, recently built upon his NCSF certification with a Performance Coach certificate from Overtime Athletes (OTA U). This added layer of specialization enhances how we build power, speed, and performance transfer for our athletes across sports — ensuring our training stays at the forefront of modern athletic development. Andrew is currently standing up the second Athlete Lab performance center in the Boise area.

Wanda (“Vunda”) is now a Certified Trainer through the NCSF strengthening her expertise and positioning her to take on a lead coaching role at The Athlete Lab - Hailey, ID, while Andrew establishes the Boise location expanding the reach and consistency of our athlete experience.

Colleen Little continues to oversee injury prevention protocols. A Doctor of Physical Therapy, she bridges insights from her role as Medical Lead for Nike Swoosh Track Club where she works with professional and Olympic runners. Her expertise helps translate elite-level care into proactive, practical guidance for every athlete in our community.

MENTAL PERFORMANCE

Zak Taylor continues as Lead Mental Performance Coach, building on a full year of impactful programming while also studying for a Master’s in Psychology at Oregon State University. His experience as Oregon State University’s Director of Player Development and as a former D1 baseball player at OSU provides a rare blend of academic insight and firsthand athlete perspective — a tremendous value to the athletes we serve in building confidence, focus, and resilience.

We recently partnered with Ignite Life Coaching (led by Jessica Parker, former D1 college soccer player) to design a self-paced values-based micro workshop, “Know Your Values, Own Your Game” - equipping athletes with deeper self-awareness and alignment, helping them define success on their own terms — both in and beyond sport.

NUTRITION & RECOVERY

Teresa Brennan, RD/N, LD, CD, CNSC, continues to lead foundational education in this pillar, leveraging her clinical background to help athletes understand the “why” behind their nutrition, fueling, and recovery habits. Her guidance helps every athlete develop sustainable habits that drive long-term success — on and off the field. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and member of the Sports and Human Performance Nutrition practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, her leadership ensures that The Athlete Lab’s nutrition education is rooted in evidence, and built for real life.

We’re excited to welcome Jamie Truppi, an Integrative Nutritionist (MS, Nutrition; Certified Nutrition Specialist® - CNS). Jamie brings an holistic approach that emphasizes connection, wellbeing, and long-term health through quality nourishment. Her first content created exclusively for LAB athletes go live in November - giving athletes real world insight and strategies to feel and perform their best.

We recently partnered with Jason and Kristi Reynolds at Paradigm Performance “Your Roadmap to Rehab” to bring a new concussion care resource to The Athlete Lab community — “So You Have a Concussion, Now What?” This one-page guide provides athletes and parents with clear, science-backed steps for the critical first 72 hours post-injury. Together they have 15 years experience in athlete care, including experience with Team USA.

LONG TERM ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT (LTAD)

Finally, as part of a continued commitment to evidence-based, athlete-centered programming, The Athlete Lab is consulting with Richard Way, the architect behind the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model — a globally recognized framework used by Olympic and national sport organizations to guide progressive, stage-appropriate growth for athletes.

The LTAD framework is widely regarded as the gold standard for athletic progression, integrating sport science, physical literacy, and long-term wellness to ensure athletes develop the right skills at the right time. Richard’s involvement will help refine systems across all of The Athlete Lab’s pillars — Strength & Speed, Nutrition & Recovery, and Mental Performance — ensuring every athlete in our community experiences programming that is both scientifically grounded and personally meaningful.

This collaboration sets the stage for the exciting updates above — each representing how we are expanding expertise across pillars to deliver on The Athlete Lab’s mission: fueling full potential while promoting wellness and a lifelong love of the athletic experience.

Every coach in this ecosystem — from D1 athletes and pros, to Olympic and clinical expertise — shares one goal: to create positive, empowering experiences in sport, so every athlete can set the standard, set the tempo, and own their future.