CBU Athletics hires new high-performance strength, and conditioning coach

CBU Athletics hires new high-performance strength and conditioning coach

Aubrey Landry to come on board in mid-July

By Corey LeBlanc

The Cape Breton University (CBU) Athletics and Recreation family has a new member.

Aubrey Landry has been hired as the high-performance strength and conditioning coach.

"I am super excited to have this opportunity," the 23-year-old says.

Landry, who was born in New Brunswick, notes he has lived in a variety of places as part of a military family.

"But, I have deep Cape Breton roots," he notes.

His father is from Sydney; his mother comes from Westmount.

After his high school graduation from école du Carrefour in Dartmouth, Landry headed to Acadia University in Wolfville, where he enrolled in the Bachelor of Kinesiology program.

"It was a great experience," he offers of his post-secondary studies in the Annapolis Valley.

Along with four years as a varsity swimmer with the Axemen, the student-athlete interned in the university's highly-regarded sports performance program.

After earning his degree, Acadia Athletics hired Landry as an assistant strength and conditioning coach – a position he has held for more than one year.

Besides sharing his expertise with student-athletes from Axemen and Axewomen varsity programs, he has been working on his master's degree in sports performance from Rocky Mountain University in Provo, Utah.

"Growing up, as an athlete, I was always trying to figure out what I could do to improve," Landry says, when asked what attracted him to the field of sport performance.

He explains, particularly in rural communities that do not have the facilities, the key tool for up-and-coming athletes is "just practices."

"I wanted to be able to create more of those [sports performance] opportunities for others," he adds.

Landry notes that an internship with Acadia Performance Training, which was founded in 2013 with 'the goal of supporting the development of athletes in Nova Scotia,' was invaluable. As part of that initiative, he helped deliver comprehensive performance enhancement programs.

"I knew that I found my passion and things developed from there," he remembers.

Landry also enhanced his credentials with One Last Rep – formerly Atlantic Sport Performance – in Dartmouth.

"It is a great opportunity when it comes to the progression of my career," he offers of what appealed to him about the position with CBU Athletics and Recreation.

And, with fewer varsity teams, Landry explains he will have more time to build "stronger, one-on-one relationships" with every Caper student-athlete and coach.

As for how he envisions his role, he believes it is to deal with "all-things performance."

"My job is to help get our student-athletes as ready as possible for game day," Landry says, describing himself as a "big support system."

He adds, "I want our Capers to be as physically prepared as possible."

During the interview process, Landry says everyone at CBU was "very welcoming."

"I felt really appreciated," he adds.

Landry was the "best choice among a competitive field of applicants," according to CBU's Manager of Varsity Athletics Shaun Ranni.

"Aubrey brings previous experience working with elite athletes and has a strong understanding of current best practices in strength and conditioning. He will work collaboratively with not only our student-athletes and coaches, but also the academic units of CBU, along with outreach to the local Cape Breton communities," he adds.

Ranni describes Landry as "an exceptional addition" to the growing support team with CBU's Department of Athletics and Recreation.

"Aubrey will help keep our programs competing at the national level, year after year," he notes.

And, as mentioned, it will be a homecoming – of sorts – for Landry.

"It's going to be great – it's my second home," he says of making the move to Sydney while agreeing having familiar and supportive faces around will help ease the transition.

Landry, who begins his tenure in mid-July, can't wait to get started.

"I want to help have a positive impact on the student-athlete experience at CBU."

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