We were lucky to catch up with Jacob McNeice recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jacob, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I have always been the type of person who lives by “the grass is greener where you water it”. When I graduated from Springfield College, the first thing that I wanted to do was give back to my hometown and provide them with proper strength and conditioning.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Jacob McNeice and I am the head strength and conditioning coach at Ripcity academy in Dalton, MA. I started Ripcity Strength and Conditioning in May of 2021 with the hope of introducing proper strength training to the area that I was born and raised in.
During my time at Springfield College, I was able to work closely with coaches like Adam Feit, Mary-Kate Feit, Dr. Thompson, etc. I was also able to start a strength and conditioning program for rugby at Springfield while also completing two internships at over 400 hours each. During these internships, I was able to learn under the Williston Head Strength Coach, Blayne Lapan and also the Quinnipiac Strength Coaches, Brijesh Patel, Sergio Merino, Meghan Collins and Simone Morin. One year after my time at Quinnipiac University, the hockey program won their first national championship and Brijesh Patel was named the national strength and Conditioning coach of the year by the NSCA. In the next phase of my coaching career as a baseball strength and conditioning coach / gen pop private trainer I’ve studied coaches like Mike Boyle, Dan John, Stu McGill, Gray Cook, Paul Chek and most recently have taken a course from Pat Davidson to further hone my trainer skills and knowledge.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three things that have really helped me out on my journey have been..
1.) reading “How to win friends and influence people”, and actively applying those concepts to my everyday life. No one wants to be around someone that does not genuinely care about them or hear out whatever they have to say. It takes a little extra effort to be the best listener that you can be.
2.) Be where your feet are. Anytime that is spent away from the moment is time wasted. Time is our most valuable resource and how we spend it determines our quality of life.
3.) Wake up at 5am every morning regardless of how you are feeling in that moment. Repeating this will develop a habit and maintaining this habit will callus the brain. Mental resiliency is how you get through your worst days and stay on your track to success!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
The people that help me overcome challenges and constantly teach me new concepts are the people that train with me every morning. These are the people that hold me accountable, believe in what I do, and provide me with knowledge on how they have become successful throughout their years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ripcityma.com/
- Instagram: Ripcitystrength
Image Credits
Eric Mabee, Mike Obrien, Natalie Zema, Justin McKennon, Matt Stracuzzi
