Gina Baski – Founder, TriFit Club & Studios/TriFit MultiSport + Triathlon Coach
Sports and fitness have always been a part of Gina Baski’s life, she began in fitness in her early years as a gymnast and then as a competitive swimmer. Professionally Gina spent the early part of her career as a senior technical writer and an adjunct college professor in San Diego, CA. After completing a B.S. from Cal Poly and an M.A. from SDSU , and shortly after meeting her soon to be husband, Gina pursued her life-long dream to become a health and fitness professional. In this pursuit Gina learned as much as she could about the industry, she worked in various health clubs in the Los Angeles area and then became certified as a personal trainer, weight management consultant, yoga instructor, cycling instructor, Pose Running Coach, and as a USA Triathlon (Level II) Coach.
Gina’s life-long dream came to fruition when she co-founded TriFit, a sprawling 30,000 square foot health club on the Westside of Los Angeles. TriFit is an official USAT Certified Performance & Testing Center, one of only six in the US, and is anything but your ordinary health club. From cycling to swimming, yoga to endurance training, TriFit is the one space that has it all. Gina and her husband spent many years working with Olympic endurance and strength coaches with the goal of providing TriFit members the very best tools to achieve all of their health and fitness goals . The time the Baski’s invested working with these coaches became instrumental in helping them to develop smart and effective training programs for TriFit’s members.
Today Gina serves as managing partner of TriFit and remains committed to helping people create a healthy and active lifestyle, so that no matter a person’s age or athletic ability, he or she can live their best life possible. In addition, Gina has always been focused on giving back to the community; together with TriFit she has volunteered time and resources for numerous non profits including the AIDS Ride, AIDS Lifecycle, Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Run, and the Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Class ride.
Gina has competed in Ironman Triathlons and various other multi-sport races, she has committed to race at least once a year which has provided her balance, enjoyment, focus and a sanctuary from the craziness of running a business while raising a family. Gina’s proudest accomplishment to date is the birth of her two sons, Luca & Alexandre, her kids are at the heart of everything she does. She works in Santa Monica, CA and lives with her husband and two children in Brentwood, CA.
Bernard Baski – Head Triathlon Coach
Bernard Baski, from Montreal, Canada, has worked his way through the ranks from an amateur to a professional hockey player; Bernard also developed a career as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at one of Canada’s world renowned hockey training camps. His desire to help young up and coming players was a turning point in his career.
After relocating to Southern California, he soon after met his wife-to-be Gina, a health and fitness professional. Their combined knowledge, passion, and commitment as coaches helped many individuals transform their lives. The couple quickly became recognized as dynamic and visionary in the world of health and fitness with the rare gift to empower and enhance their client’s health and well-being.
In the early 90’s, Bernard’s exposure to endurance sports and his passion for the sport of triathlon as an Ironman competitor helped him develop a successful training approach with his wife Gina, Bernard co-founder and owner of TriFit Club and Studios a 30,000 square foot facility also introduced one of six recognized USAT Training and Testing Performance Centers in the U.S. designed to accommodate the needs of both beginner to elite athletes.
Bernard’s certifications include USA Triathlon Level II, POSE Tech Running Level II, USA/ASCA Swim Level I. He is nationally certified as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and is nationally certified with BikeFit, LLC as one of their top fit specialists in the U.S. and Canada.
His performance based approach to training and adaptation, strength, flexibility, technique and cardio has been recognized as both unique and effective in improving an athlete’s overall results. Bernard’s extensive experience and knowledge in the multisport world, his love of coaching, and his competitive edge has attracted a diversified group of clients.
USAT Olympic Elite Development Team- Chris Foster
MLS 2009-2010 Under 23 MVP- Raul Mendiola
Para-triathlete ITU 2011 Gold Medalist- Danielle McLaughlin
NHL Toronto Maple Leaf – Nathan Perrott
USATF All American Under 23- Drake Johnson
Email: info@tfmultisport.com or call TriFit Club & Studios and ask for Bernard in the Performance Center.
Rad Hallman – Swim + Triathlon Coach
Rad has been involved in the multisport community since 2000 as a coach and as an athlete. In 2002, he raced for Team USA in the Duathlon World Championships. Since then, he has raced in Triathlon Nationals and completed three Ironman distance races among dozens of other races from sprints to rugged xterra challenges.
Currently, he is the head coach for the University of Southern California Triathlon team. Under his coaching, the USC women’s team finished 9th in the country last year with a top 20 overall finish for the combined team. Within the collegiate program, Rad has taken tri newbies from his or her first race to overall podium finishes in the span of a nine month season.
Rad has also coached for the Team in Training Ironteam, raising money for cancer research while training people from all walks of life to complete an Iron-distance race. Year in and year out, the greatest fears of triathletes boil down to the swim. With a balanced, technique-oriented approach, Rad has coached athletes afraid of water more than waist deep to complete the 2.4 mile challenge of an Ironman. He has also taken athletes, stuck on a plateau, to new levels of achievement in the water and beyond.
Rad teaches two master swim workouts a week at TriFit, offers one-on-one private instruction, underwater swim video analysis, and will hold several clinics throughout 2011. Rad also develops individualized programs for athletes competing in every distance of running and triathlon.
Email: Rad@TriFitLA.com
Andrea Schwartz – Triathlon Coach, Registered Dietitian, Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Andrea “Andie” Schwartz, M.Ed., CSCS, CPT, Dietitian, registration eligible, has combined a lifetime of athletics with a passion for helping others in her work with clients of all skills. Andie boasts certifications through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); prestigious Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications. She’s held certifications from USA Triathlon (USAT) and USA Cycling as a certified coach.
Andie has been in the fitness industry for over 15-years, in addition to multiple certifications she holds a Masters degree in Sports and Recreation Administration and Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Human Nutrition. For the past decade she has trained casual exercisers, professional dancers, youth athletes, NCAA collegiate champions and professional athletes. In 2011, Andie attended the prestigious Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Dietetic Internship in Los Angeles to complete her Registered Dietitian supervised practice hours. Andie’s nutrition sessions focus on the healing powers of food, weight loss, and sports nutrition.
Starting as a runner, Andie podiumed and set high school and college records in track and field as a hepthathlete and has won and competed in running events ranging from the 100 meters to cross-country races. After college she transitioned to triathlons and has competed and podiumed in dozens of races. She represented Team USA in 2009 in the International Triathlon Union’s (ITU) World Championships in Australia, placed 4th in her age group at USAT Sprint Nationals in 2009 and qualified for USAT Olympic distance nationals in 2008.
She founded Tri Babes Training, a women’s triathlon training group and racing team serving Boulder and Denver communities, serving as director and head coach from 2007-2011.
Her training philosophy is to coach with enthusiasm, encouragement, and passion. She enjoys working with all levels of clients and loves sharing her passion for training, racing, and nutrition.
Email: Andie@TriFitLA.com
Nick Baggetta – Strength & Conditioning Specialist + Testing
Nick Baggetta is from Louisiana where he started playing soccer at the age of 6. As he got older and started high school as a 5’9”, 135 pound freshman on the varsity soccer team, his nickname was “Baggs of Bones”, a play on his last name and small size. Determined to prove the guys wrong, during the summer between his freshman and sophomore years he put on 20 pounds of muscle and shed the nickname. This started his ongoing passion for physical fitness and overall health and wellness. After high school, he played soccer at William Carey College and Barry University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine.
Upon completion of his degree and with an internship at Broward General Medical Center’s Wellness Center and Cardiac Rehab Program under his belt, Nick became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA, one of the most respected certifications in the industry. With a degree and a top certification in hand, Nick began training privately and in corporate health clubs, with clients ranging from NCAA college athletes to cardiac rehab patients in their 60s, always providing a fun, informative, and effective program tailored to their particular goals, experience, and abilities. Nick’s training style is a mix between bodyweight training, traditional strength training, and interval training. His passion for living a healthy life helps keep him and his clients in top shape and provides a rewarding exercise experience. Nick is constantly keeping up to date on the latest research and trends in the fitness industry to create dynamic and ever-changing programs. He still plays soccer and tennis to keep his competitive juices flowing.
Email: Nick@TriFitLA.com
Tim Liu – Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Tim was born in Hong Kong and moved to California when he was 8. Tim received a B.S. in Nutrition from Cal Poly. Tim’s favorite sports are soccer and tennis. Specializing in weight loss, strength and conditioning, and nutritional guidance, Tim has the tools to get you fit no matter what your goals. His training philosophy is “No gimmicks, just hard work.” Tim boasts the prestigious CSCS certification by NSCA as well as the kettle bell certification through IKFF.
Email: Tim@TriFitLA.com
Julie Dragicevich – Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Julie has been the group trainer for USC’s dance team since 2009, teaching cardio-based strength workouts to increase strength and endurance while keeping toned and fit. She was a dancer at USC, internationally in Japan, and is currently in her second season as a Los Angeles Laker Girl.
Email: julied@trifitla.com
Ivan Perhat – Master Swim Coach
Ivan began his swimming career at the age of fifteen under Wayne Rhea at San Pedro High School. Within a couple months, he won his first CIF title. Shortly after he joined San Pedro and Peninsula (SPPY) swim team in order to take his swimming to another level. By the time Ivan graduated high school he held 13 first place CIF titles, 2 silver, and 1 bronze, more than any other athlete in the area to date. By the end of his high school career, Ivan was top 16 in the nation in the 100 and 200 freestyle, only two and a half years after he began swimming. In 2004, schools such as Stanford, University of Arizona, Columbia University, University of Irvine, as well as University of Washington recruited him. Ivan ultimately decided to go to University of Washington on a scholarship. After four years of attending a division one college, Ivan graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Geophysics.
During his last year at the University of Washington Ivan was unhappy with his competitive swimming career. He decided to train by himself to end his career in a positive manner. Before leaving for Croatia, Ivan attended a competition in Irvine, California where the all time great Jason Lezak, was also signed up to compete. Ivan and Lezak raced head to head ending in Lezak breaking the American record in the 100 freestyle. In July of 2008 he attended Croatian Nationals where he swam the 50m free in 22.7 and the 100m free in 49.9, which at the time were the 4 fastest times on the Croatian all-time list. In 2008, Ivan qualified to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, but due to political issues did not attend. In lieu of the circumstances, Ivan decided to stay in Croatia to pursue his professional swimming career as part of the Croatian National Team. In December of 2008, Ivan once again attended the Croatian Nationals where he swam the second fastest time ever (as a Croatian) in the 100 freestyle (47.9).
Within the next year, he raced the best swimmers in the world in competitions such as European Championships, the World Cup Championship Series and the Mediterranean Games. In summer of 2009, Ivan participated in the Mediterranean Games, in Pescara, Italy. While there, as part of the Croatian relay team, he raced the well known French relay team, that lost to the American relay team, to give Michael Phelps his 8thgold medal in the 2008 Olympics. That summer of 2009 Ivan was suppose to appear at the World Championships in Rome, but once again was denied the privilege due to political issues.
During the duration of his stay in Croatia, Ivan coached his fellow swimmers and managed their weight room program. His Croatian coach Josko Kuhar, who was formally an assistant to a coach who worked with former Olympian and World Record holder, Alexander Popov, mentored him.
Email: i.perhat2@gmail.com
