Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Rigau.
Hi Ryan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I lived for playing sports and being outdoors, hunting and fishing. There was nothing else I wanted to do. My parents would occasionally pray for rain on the weekends just to take a break from my game days.
Catching alligators, riding through the trails of the Ocala National Forest, and wakeboarding on the lake. I had an amazing childhood, but honestly having a big family and large circle of friends is what really made those moments. My background with family, friends, and sports shaped a lot of who I am today.
They say if you want to tell God a joke, tell him your plans. My big plans for making it into the big leagues all came crashing down when I was told I needed surgery on my shoulder from a labrum tear. I was currently playing infielder at the University of Tampa, already at the college level on a highly competitive team, and confident I had the talent to continue my baseball career.
After graduation, I decided to give my shoulder rest and turned to many different job titles trying to find my way – Sheriff’s office deputy recruit, private investigation, security. Eventually, I kept turning back to sports. I took a job as a substitute teacher with horrible pay just so I could coach baseball and football at Land O’ Lakes HS.
If it wasn’t for the amazing woman I met along the way, I would have given up a long time ago and just gone to law school following in my dad’s footsteps.
Finally realizing my calling, I woke up one morning and told my wife – “I’m going to start my own sports performance facility.” That same day I started clearing out the barn at my family’s lakehouse in Odessa, FL. Given the outdoor setting and housing we wanted to offer, we decided ‘Athlete Retreat’ was the perfect name.
My first athlete was Pete Alonso back in his college days who has been, needless to say, kicking ass ever since then. We even hosted his ESPN and Men’s Health interview at the barn. Along the way, this business has taken off into something I could have never imagined.
I always wanted to have the family feel to my business, but it’s even better than that. It’s really a village and all these athletes help each other out. Lucky for me, my wife gets to visit with our now 10-month-old son, Liam Ford, who I can’t wait to train one day.
Of course, I can’t forget our Goldendoodle mascot, Yogi, who has been there since day 1 and loves the attention from all the athletes. We still have the original barn location as a B&B with private training and have also expanded to a warehouse towards the Trinity/54 area on Gunn Hwy.
Some of our best feedback has been from parents seeing their entire team’s strength and power improve, the comradery our environment provides, and of course how much fun the athletes have on a good Summer Friday at the lake.
I’m very proud to be a friend and mentor to all the athletes I’ve worked with and happy my life has led me here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I can happily say the biggest roadblock was trying to convince athletes that training in a barn was the real deal with very limited equipment for the first year (which happened really fast).
And made me creative with workouts which in turn gave me a different approach to training that we still use to this day
As you know, we’re big fans of Athlete Retreat. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am known for being There for all the athletes I train. A phone call or text away is not only a physical trainer but mental as well. Specializing in sports performance training with speed and agility but also sports-specific training for all sports.
If I had to pick what separates us from others would be we don’t look at athletes as numbers or money. We are family first and run a program that is great for everyone and designed specifically for each athlete. I am most proud of Athlete Retreat is still up and running after a tough few years for everyone and we are growing significantly every day.
Coach Cory Barsness is arguably one of the best trainers in Tampa that we are proud to have as a partner and part of our team. Not only do we help athletes succeed on the field, but we have also helped them graduate from college and learn life skills.
Also, some of the very first athletes I coached or trained have or are currently back to work with us and be huge to the training staff and helping the business continue to grow. Also the brand itself, I just would love to say my wife did all of the logos and was a huge supporter of mine along the way.
I want everyone to know yes I have some big leaguers but we train athletes in every sport. Lacrosse faces off all the way to MMA fighters. You name the sport we have trained them at a high level. All trainers have not only played sports but keep up to date with all exercise programs and have even come up with our own programs.
Coach Cory Barsness has been at it for 18 years coming up with some serious programs for the most serious athletes. We also train adults and have kids camps for ages 6+ and will always look at making Athlete Retreat a one-stop-shop for all your fitness and health needs.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
To be honest, I am an open book with my life but if I have to pick one would be the jobs I had on the side when I first started to make money to pay the bills while building my business.
I had a demolition and tree service company I did on the side to make extra money but turned out I was really good and made more than extra money which allowed me to take risks with the business I probably would not have been able to do.
I love a good demo day
Contact Info:
- Website: Athleteretreatfl.com
- Instagram: @Athlete_Retreat
- Facebook: @athleteretreatfl
