They have a new home and some expanded programming. Ignite Athletic Conditioning Moose Jaw is looking forward to a big 2017 with some changes on the horizon.

Ignite is moving into the Team Redgoat Training Centre and will now have former CFL offensive lineman Matt Sheridan serving as a strength coach to help train local athletes along with co-founder Ryan Gottselig.

“There’s lots of expansion opportunities with moving into the new building and bringing Matt on board,” said Gottselig.

“Now we have multiple age groups going, there’s a senior group, which mainly grade 10, 11 and 12 kids; there’s a minor group, which is peewee and bantam football players; and then we’re starting to offer things for younger kids and females as well.”

Gottselig – who founded Ignite with fellow Moose Javian David Stevens in Saskatoon in 2010 – has been running the Moose Jaw branch of Ignite since moving back to his hometown in 2011. He’s now partnering with Sheridan to grow the programs offered and training that they can provide with more space at Redgoat.

Since starting the program in Moose Jaw, Gottselig has kept things small, but they’re hoping to help out even more local athletes now.

“Ryan and I had a chance conversation about whether there was an opportunity for us to come together and be able to offer more, provide better services and more opportunities for kids to get exposure to the kind of training and work that’s necessary for them to succeed and move onto the next level,” said Sheridan.

The Senior Program and Minor Program will be running from Jan. 9-Feb. 16 and feature different levels of training focused on each age group.

“They’re both of the similar idea, but obviously just in terms of the lifts and movement patterns as you get a little older, we can get a little more complex with that,” said Gottselig. “The younger group is a little more intro to strength training, basic movement patterns – that’s a big thing with the young guys, is get them moving properly and then those strength and speed gains will come – and with the older guys, we just build on what they already have.”

Ignite's Ryan Gottselig on the field as the head coach of the Vanier Vikings high school football team. (Photo: Marc Smith)

Whether you’re new strength training or are looking to get into it for the first time, Ignite is looking to help take your training to the next level.

“We’d love to have those young, enthusiastic individuals who have never done this before, absolutely we want people that are interested in getting better, but we also love the opportunity that’s presented by having young newcomers so that we can teach them how to do things correctly, safely and maximize the benefit that they’re going to get from them,” said Sheridan.

Both Gottselig and Sheridan have their backgrounds in football with Sheridan playing eight seasons in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, while Gottselig starred with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

However they’re focused on helping athletes from all sports hit their goals.

“It doesn’t even need to be limited to athletes, the concepts that we employ and the principles that we use are the basics of all human movement and performance, so whether you’re a teenage high school athlete or a 35-year-old weekend warrior, what we offer is going to be able to help you,” said Sheridan.

“It’s about performance training, not necessarily athletic training, there’s really a net benefit for anybody.”

For more information about the programs and to sign up, check out the Ignite Moose Jaw website or their Facebook page.