Bio
Jon grew up in Bellingham and got his start in athletics playing basketball, soccer, and track and field. After his 5th grade year he traveled to UCLA to compete in the Arco Jesse Owens Games where he set a national high jump record for his age group. By high school Jon chose to focus on Basketball and Track and considers himself lucky to have competed in a town like Bellingham that offered both great community support and fierce cross-town rivalries. His basketball team was ranked 2nd in the state at one point (don’t ask him how they actually did at state) and he went to the state track meet twice in high jump where he placed 5th with a personal best of 6 feet 6 inches.
After graduating from high school, Jon chose to take a break from any organized athletics and pursue interests that had been put on hold up until that point. He started backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and snowboarding and realized that the northwest was the perfect place for all things outdoors. After working as a graphic designer in the snowboard industry for several years, Jon decided that life was too short to sit behind a computer all day. He chose to pursue a more active and community oriented career and in 1999 he became a Bellingham Police Officer.
Jon’s experience on patrol and SWAT gave him a real-world perspective in regards to fitness and the demands that can unexpectedly be placed on an individual at any given time. He searched for a fitness program that would best prepare him for his job but felt that most programs failed to realistically improve both strength and conditioning. After trying everything from traditional bodybuilding programs to triathlon training, Jon was introduced to CrossFit which opened his eyes to performance oriented training and gave him the results he had been looking for. In time Jon became a certified trainer and had the chance to train high school athletes and fellow officers alike before coming to Jogo Gym.
When he’s not at the police department or the gym, Jon stays busy volunteering as a Young Life leader, coaching track, and doing anything outside with his two dogs, Ronin and Switch.

Q&A (Provided by the Bellingham Business Journal)
AGE: 33

HOMETOWN: Bellingham

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO BELLINGHAM: I grew up in Bellingham but moved to St. Louis after high school and attended Washington University School of Fine Arts. Sometime during that first semester it dawned on me that I was a long ways away from mountains and the ocean so I moved to Seattle where I settled for six years. During that time I traveled to some great places (Egypt, Israel, Scotland, Jamaica, Austria, Switzerland) and then worked abroad in Italy for periods of time. It was actually traveling that made me realize how incredible the northwest was. Once I figured that out, Bellingham was an easy choice based on the fact that I could go from a sailboat to a ski lift in about the time it took me to commute to work in Seattle.

FAVORITE MEMORY: As a little kid I used to sit courtside at the Bellingham High School basketball games and dream of playing in a Bellingham vs. Sehome game someday. Years later I became a Red Raider and played for Bellingham with a pretty incredible group of guys. Everything came full circle on the night of the BHS vs. SHS game when the band played our “run-in” song and we entered the gym to a sell-out crowd and I saw a new group of little kids on the sidelines cheering like crazy for us. That’s probably one of my favorite “John Mellencamp Small Town” moments.

IN YOUR CD PLAYER: Bedouin Soundclash

FAMILY: I’m blessed with a great family.

FAVORITE FOOD: Good pizza, BBQ ribs, and teriyaki.

FAVORITE BOOK: Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller), Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

FAVORITE HOBBY: Art (photography, drawing, design)

FAVORITE PLACE IN WHATCOM COUNTY: Whatcom Falls Park

LAST LOCAL PURCHASE: Kingdom Eternal T-shirt from ReThreads

DREAM VACATION: Staying in a small cabin on an isolated beach in Costa Rica with nothing more than what could fit in my backpack.

LOCAL BUSINESS YOU'D LOVE TO OWN: Tails-a-Wagging because what’s cooler than hanging out with a pack of dogs.

WORST JOB: Working in a local retail store in high school (I won’t say which one) where I had to “look” busy despite the lack of business. I had to make up things to do which resulted in color coordinating the wallet section, rotating massive stacks of jeans, and on a good day I fell asleep on cardboard boxes in the storeroom when no one was looking.

WORD THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU: Passionate (adj): Compelled or ruled by strong feelings and beliefs

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT: Rudy’s Pizzeria by day. La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza by night.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Slurpees

WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE: Luke Wilson