Jon Speakman

I haven’t always been considered an athlete. In fact, when I graduated from college in 1992, I was in the worst shape of my life. I weighed a very heavy 220 pounds, drank frequently and smoked up to two packs of cigarettes a day (depending on whether I went out to the bars after work). My day was a constant repetition of going to and from work, watching television, playing on the computer, eating poorly and smoking a lot.

Then out-of-the-blue one night, I received a phone call from my best friend in college. She announced to me that she had stopped smoking ...

Patrick Mercer

I was born to be an athlete. It must be in my DNA. When I was just a young kid growing up in the small town of Inez, Texas, I would always be running along the long dirt roads, climbing oak trees, playing in the corn fields with my friends and, of course, fishing in the local creek. From dawn until dusk, it was always non-stop activity…at least until dinner time.

I loved to play sports – any sport. It really didn’t matter what sport it was, just sign me up and put me in the game...

Peter Muir

I’ve had an interesting life so far. I’m only 22 years old, but I’ve already had my share of adventures and set-backs. For the first ten years of my life, I lived in Mozambique with my parents. My Dad was researching native plants, but also teaching the locals how to grow their own crops and raise livestock I was just along for the ride.

We always came back to the states every summer for vacation. Just like any normal boy, I found the lure of the Golden Arches (and the prizes contained in their Happy Meals) too hard to resist...

Ryan Robinson

I would best describe myself as a jack of all trades because I began my life with arts. I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. I attended the Academy for Academics and Arts from age four until age thirteen.

Over these formative years, my only extracurricular activities were orchestra, concert choir, and show choir with the occasional musical on the side. I did manage to manipulate my parents into letting me play hockey when I was eight, but other than that I had no idea how play any sport or lift weights...