Michelle Simons
Is there life without sports? Not according to Michelle Simons.
Growing up on a farm in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania, Michelle learned to love sports and appreciate exercise at an early age. She participated in track and field, and softball at North Schuylkill High School, but basketball was her game. With titles like Player of the Year, All-State Honors and member of the 1000 Points Club (with 1,724 points), her strong dedication and finely-tuned skills were evident.
Living in a family of farmers and coal miners, Michelle was familiar with hard work and devotion. “I have a strong foundation of work ethic,” Michelle said. ”I believe I gained strength by working on the farm, shoveling coal and being an adventurous kid.” Once the work was done, she would practice the fundamentals of basketball on her own. “I didn’t have much formal instruction, but I understood basic movement patterns that easily transitioned over to all my sports.”
It wasn’t long until the hard work paid off, Michelle received a basketball scholarship to Bloomsburg University where the basketball accolades continued as she earned a degree in Health, Fitness & Exercise Science. During her time at Bloomsburg, Michelle led the 1991-92 Huskies to their only Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title in school history. She received many individual accolades including 1989 PSAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year; First Team All-Conference in 1990 and 1991; and 1992 PSAC & ECAC Player of the Year. In addition to her on-court awards, Michelle also earned Kodak Women’s All-American honors in 1992 and was elected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges in recognition of outstanding merit and accomplishments.
Immediately after graduating, Michelle accepted a position as an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at East Stroudsburg University. In addition to coaching at ESU, she furthered her studies in Exercise Science and Sports Management and earned her certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). But that was not enough; Michelle constantly wanted to learn more. “To gain more experience I would participate in as many exercise science research projects as I could,” Michelle reported. “In the summers, I would help direct recreation camps, all-sports and basketball camps and clinics.”
Michelle’s honors continued to grow over the years. In 1998, she was inducted into the PA Northern Anthracite Sports Hall of Fame, the Bloomsburg University Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the East Stroudsburg University Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 as a coach of the 1994-95 PSAC Championship Team.
In 2002, Michelle went on to join the coaching staff at Bucknell University. Coaching at this elite level awakened her desire to help individuals reach their maximum athletic potential. It was at this juncture Michelle decided to take her knowledge of sports performance and combine that with her passion for coaching to pursue a career in endurance sports and sports performance training. Over the next few years, Michelle continued to gain experience and knowledge of all things fitness.
Michelle believes there is an athlete in all of us and is determined to help individuals awaken their inner athlete one person at a time. In 2006, Michelle started an independent consulting, personal training and sports performance business called Simons Says Fitness located in Lewisburg.
Michelle continues to further her fitness and cycling education to better serve her clients. She is a Certified Spinning® Indoor Cycling instructor and has included the ongoing education of Cycling Fusion™, Stages®, and Heart Zones® Training. She has also received her Advanced Functional Training Certification.
Michelle’s education goes beyond formal certifications. She is an active member of USA Cycling Association, has assisted with filming Global Ride Production Videos, and has attended events such as Lee’s Athletic Speed Formula Seminar and Mastermind Weekend.
Within the community, Michelle serves on the Lewisburg Sprint Triathlon Committee, as well as the Chili Challenge Adventure Race Committee. She is an energetic member of the Milton Rotary Club and has participated in the 5 day, 400 mile Rotary Pedals Out Polio Bike Ride for the past few years.
She produces TV segments, Focus on Fitness , for the local station, CCN News 8. Michelle also serves as a fitness product consultant to Playworld Systems, one of the largest manufactures of recreation equipment in the nation. She has played a key role in the development and testing of Energi® Prime and Energi® Junior Total Body Fitness System.
Michelle resides in Lewisburg with her husband, Joe Dubosky, dogs, Wrigley and Boomer and cats, Jackson, Jillian and Boots.
