We are excited to announce the new members of our team!
At TD Athletes Edge, we pride ourselves on creating philosophical alignment with people who we believe are good humans. Although career experience and academic education both hold a great deal of value, we firmly believe that good humans represent the ultimate backbone of our mission here at TD Athletes Edge.
We are proud to announce the addition of Matthew Ibrahims our Human Performance Coordinator and Kaitlyn Weisss our Sport Science & Research Coordinator. Both of these professionals have been on our radar for quite some time now and we couldn’t be more excited to finally add them to our team!
As our Human Performance Coordinator, Matthew will head and oversee all strength and conditioning for the TD Athletes Edge community. In this role, his ultimate objective is to work with our team to program, design and deliver high-level performance training programs that meet the individual goals and needs of each respective athlete we have the pleasure of working with. At TD Athletes Edge, we strongly believe that every human is an athlete. The two types of athletes we identify are sport athletes competing in sports at the youth, high school, college, semi-professional and professional levels. Second - and equally important to us - are lifestyle athletes in the general population, either competing in endurance sports, weight-training sports, or simply training for general health, lifestyle and wellness.
As our Sport Science & Research Coordinator, Kaitlyn will assume overall leadership of the sport science, research, and athlete monitoring program at TD Athletes Edge. She will work with our team to develop and implement support systems to aid in athlete assessment, data collection and research management. Kaitlyn is responsible for cultivating strategic partnerships with industry leaders, professional organizations and academic departments in order to deliver the best sport science, performance technology and athlete monitoring programs. Additionally, she will strive to build strong relationships with athletes, coaches, medical staff and other pertinent personnel to ensure that evidence-based information is properly distributed, while keeping everyone on the same page.
Matthew's Background:
Matthew Ibrahim is a Strength & Conditioning Coach with a strong passion in athletic development, sport performance, and context-rich assessment protocols to enhance performance output and build a foundation of resilience. Throughout his career, he has worked in a variety of strength and conditioning, physical therapy, and performance training facilities, which was highlighted by his time spent interning at the world-renowned Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning facility. Matthew has worked with youth and high school athletes, collegiate athletes, and members in professional sports in the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and UFC. He has also spent time working with general population clientele from all walks of life, including powerlifters, weightlifters, marathon runners, triathletes, and post-physical therapy clients. His professional work has been featured in major publications such as Men’s Fitness, STACK Media, The Personal Trainer Development Center, Juggernaut Training Systems, Sports Rehab Expert, and Breaking Muscle.
He is a proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Health Sciences in 2013. After several failed application attempts toward Doctorate of Physical Therapy programs, he completed a License in Massage Therapy at the Cortiva Institute in 2016. Currently, he is a graduate student at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions obtaining a Master of Science in Health Science with a focus in Sport Performance. He has future academic goals of completing a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree. Currently, he is a member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and the Clinical Athlete network. He holds certifications through NASM and USAW, and is formally trained in FMS, EXOS, PRI, and StrongFirst methodologies.
A highly sought-after resource and thought leader for strength coaches and sports rehab pro’s alike, he has consulted with the likes of EXOS at Google Headquarters, the Boston Celtics, dorsaVi Technology, and The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention. In May of 2016, Matthew teamed up with his colleague, Dr. Zak Gabor, to create and begin teaching their Hip Hinge 101 Workshop, which has been approved by the NSCA for continuing education units and has been presented in MA, CT, NH, NY, RI, VT, and CA. He has also provided guest lectures and in-services at Merrimack College, UMass Lowell, Springfield College, Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Lasell College. Recently, he was honored with receiving the Exercise and Health Sciences Alumni Award from the University of Massachusetts Boston in May of 2017 for his mentorship and educational contributions to the current student community. As someone who stresses the value of walking the walk alongside his athletes and clients, Matthew consistently works on his own physical preparation as well, as evidenced by his athletic endeavors in powerlifting (competed twice in 2016), hardstyle kettlebell training, and endurance training. His personal website can be viewed at www.Matthew-Ibrahim.com.
Kaitlyn's Background:
Kaitlyn Weiss is a Strength & Conditioning Coach and a recent graduate with a PhD in Sport Science and Biomechanics from Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Her doctoral thesis was focused on athlete load monitoring with an emphasis on the quantification of load and lower limb injury in men’s professional basketball. As part of her research, she developed a unique and novel method for determining bilateral lower limb loading using wearable sensors. In conjunction with her research, she built an athlete monitoring system (inclusive of specific protocols and an excel based dashboard for data visualization) for the New Zealand Breakers men's professional basketball team in the National Basketball League, as well as providing sports science consultancy in collaboration with the staff and the athletes on an ongoing basis. During her PhD program, Kate also had the opportunity to teach exercise programming as part of Auckland University of Technology’s certificate program.
Prior to her doctoral research and work in New Zealand, she worked as a strength and conditioning coach both in the private sector as well as in two NCAA Division I collegiate settings: Ball State University men’s tennis as their head strength and conditioning coach during the 2012-2013 season, and the University of Southern California (USC) as a strength and conditioning intern with men’s football during the 2008-2009 season. Her previous research was with NCAA Division I athletes in the areas of biomechanics and injury prevention. Outside of her research and work as a strength coach, she has also taught group exercise classes and individual and group Pilates at the world-renowned Results Fitness center in Santa Clarita, CA, which was founded by industry leaders, Alwyn Cosgrove and Rachel Cosgrove. Before starting her college career, she coached gymnastics for four years and was part of a dance company. Kate currently holds the following certifications: NSCA CSCS, NASM PES, USAW Level 1, FMS, Precision Nutrition Level 1, and Balanced Body University Pilates Instructor.
Kate’s extensive experience working with a variety of athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels has prepared her to be able to assess the varying needs specific to each level of athlete and sport. Her education and research has lent itself to her understanding of training loads, injury prevention and performance in the context of athlete monitoring. Her experience has provided her with the opportunity to present her work and consult with a number of professional sports teams here in the states with the likes of the Oakland Raiders (NFL) and the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). Additionally, it has prepared her to present her novel approach to load monitoring as a Young Investigator Award recipient at the Aspire Athlete Load Monitoring Conference held in February 2016 in Qatar, and to present at various conferences including the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Conference in 2016, the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS) in 2015, and the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) in 2015.
Please join us in welcoming these incredible new teammates!
Tim DiFrancesco, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS spent 6 seasons as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and founder of TD Athletes Edge. He is nationally renowned for his evidence-based and scientific approach to fitness, training, nutrition, and recovery for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
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