Apollo Strength Athletes
Hayden Jaco
“My name is Hayden Jaco, I grew up in Vancouver BC and am now residing in Ontario. Growing up, thanks to my grandfather I lived a very active lifestyle playing every sport imaginable. Ultimately my passions lead to me a successful youth career in both hockey and baseball. After finishing highschool I took my talents south of the border for a college baseball career in the NCJAA in Texas and the NCAA division 1 level at Indiana State University.
After finishing up my baseball career and going through a small identity crisis, I felt like I had lost my "competitive edge" that was until I found Crossfit and fell in love with the sport
Since early 2020 I have been training in this new domain and pushing my goals everyday.
I am very excited to partner with Apollo Strength Equipment, & to see what we can accomplish together!”
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Hayden was born February 12th 1997 in Vancouver British Columbia and is currently living in London Ontario Canada. His primary sport of training is CrossFit & loves the colours pink, purple & green. When he isn’t doing CrossFit he is playing baseball or with his dog.
Staying competitive after baseball is what got him into CrossFit & passionate about it. It has allowed him to try new challenges and push himself. He is currently working with Mammoth Training Methods as a coach & his goals consist of doing the CrossFit Semi Finals, hopefully leading into competing at the CrossFit Games.
His most memorable achievements so far consist of winning the Wodapalooza Men’s RX Team competition. While one of his most challenging experiences has been dealing with a knee injury from the 2023 CrossFit open.
The best piece of advice he could give to an another aspiring athlete is to Stay patient & learn the basics!
Hayden loves atmosphere & having the feeling of a crowd behind him when It comes to competing.
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“I heard about Apollo Strength when I first started shopping for a weighted vest - after purchasing one with them, the experience was amazing & their customer service has been great! I’m so happy with this partnership with them & am excited to grow together!.
Use Code: HAYDENJ for additional Savings on Checkout.
Gabby Spenst
“Hello! My name is Gabrielle Spenst. I am a proud Canadian athlete, training to reach my goal of competing in the CrossFit Games.
I made the decision early in the 2022 Crossfit season to leave my job and family back home to come train in Lynden WA where I joined a group of like minded individuals who push me and help me grow in all areas.
I am thankful everyday to God, my family and my friends. I would not be able to be living out my dream if it weren’t for them. And I am excited to expand my family and join Apollo Strength Equipment!”
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Gabby was born March 11th 1998 in Abbotsford British Columbia, and is currently living in Sylvan Lake Alberta. Her primary sport is training is CrossFit & favourite colour is blue. She loves to repeat the quote “Gods got it” all the time to herself. She also loves skateboarding, but doesn’t do it as much anymore. She considers always as her first love. Besides that she loves just spending time with my family!
An invite to a CrossFit class from a friend one day got her into things. She came home so sore after and loved it. She went back the next day & has been ever since! She loves the community and how this sport can help improve the quality of life for people.
Jason MacDonald is her coach and has been an amazing role model for her - her goals are to continue to follow the path she believes God is leading her on. For right now it is to compete in CrossFit and do as well as she possibly can while trying to encourage / share Gods love along the way.
Making it to semifinals for 2 years in a row is one of her greatest achievements & she is hoping to make it 3 years coming up.
To believe in herself has been one of her biggest challenges - she has found it very scary taking a chance on herself and to be vulnerable is terrifying… although very rewarding.
She would recommend any aspiring athletes take care of themselves mentally and always make sure you’re they are taking time for themselves - “You can train as much as you want physically but if you’re not taking care of you, you can only get so far.”
She loves competing because of how much it challenges herslf. She loves seeing how far she can push her body and compete against other people who are also constantly trying to improve themselves - It’s so inspiring, and to be among people like that is incredible
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“Terry Butchart introduced me to Apollo strength & they have been so good to me. They have supported me and beyond that their equipment is top quality. They take great pride in their work and rightfully so.”
Use Code: GABBY4THEGAMES for additional Savings on Checkout.
Anne-Marie Dumont
Born November 04, 2000 in Edmonton Alberta Canada & currently residing there. Her primary sport of training is Track Cycling, with a background in playing hockey for 13 years and soccer for 17years. Her favorite colour is blue & comes from a musical family, so she plays the guitar.
After completing the “RBC training ground” back in 2022 - she wasn’t sure where this journey would take her. After being recruited by Cycling Canada in the summer of 2022, she was later nominated top 30 in Canada amongst other athletes from different sports as future Olympians. She started training full time shortly after and fell in love with the sport!
She loves track cycling, especially sprinting because it’s both physically and mentally demanding. “It’s not an easy sport, you have to love training.” She loves being able to push herself to be faster and stronger everyday.
She has merch coaches such as Tokyo gold medalist Kelsey Mitchell. She’s not only an incredible athlete but also such a kind human being. Larissa Frankin is also one of her role models - she’s also an Olympic medalist and represents Canada as part of the softball team. She’s had the privilege of having Larissa as an RBC mentor. Larissa has helped her with a lot since starting my RBC future Olympian journey. She’s an inspiring athlete and role model.
Her short term / medium goals would be hitting the national standard for the flying 200 - her long term goal would be being national champion.
So far her most memorable achievements would be winning two bronze medals at Ontario provincials. A few months prior, the training was hard and she wasn’t sure how she was going to perform. Being able to step on the podium was such a big accomplishment. It was a reminder that good things takes time and patience. It’s not always easy, but it will come together in the end.”
One of her biggest challenges was switching from hockey to cycling. Starting a new sport at 21 was intimidating, especially having the dream of being at the Olympics. It’s been two years of learning and making mistakes but it’s all be worth it.
The best piece of advice she would give to an another aspiring athlete is to give everything you have because you never know.
She loves the thrill of competing as it’s so exciting - It’s not easy but she loves feeling the pressure of competing.
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“Apollo has been a big part of my journey. They’ve supported me more than I ever thought. Both Aleks and Trevor have been so supportive.”
Use Code: ANNEMARIE2028 for additional Savings on Checkout.
Boady Santavy
Boady Santavy was born May 22nd 1997 in Sarnia Ontario Canada & currently resides there. His primary sport is Olympic Weightlifting.
His favourite colour is gold and favourite quote is “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Outside of Weightlifting he is passionate about movies, the mafia, cigars, boxing & baseball.
Olympic Weightlifting has been his my family for many generations & they have a combined 4 Olympic Games in the family currently.
His coach & roll model is his father “Dalas Santavy” - hes always looked up to him and wanted to impress him / make him proud.
His main goals are to achieve as many great things as possible in the sport of Weightlifting, that he is so passionate about.
The Olympic Games by far are one of his most memorable achievements so far. He has received the World Snatch Medal, Best Canadian in History of the Sport Award, Heaviest Snatch in the Olympic Games 2021, & many other international medals | along with being the Canadian Weightlifting Champion many times. His first gold medal was at an international event in 2014 for the Youth Pan American Championships.
The best piece of advice he could give another aspiring athlete is “You can do whatever you put your mind to - don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not able to do something! Train hard, sacrifice, focus, and get it done!”
Achieving greatness, traveling the world, seeing his friends from around the globe is what his loves most about competing.
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“My experience has been amazing with Apollo, they are a really great company and group of guys! I have much respect for them!
Use Code: BOADY4LA2028 for additional Savings on Checkout.
Terry Butchart
Terry Butchart was born November 30th 1973 in Val d’Or, Québec, Canada & is currently living in Sherwood Park, Alberta. His primary sport is CrossFit.
His favourite colours are Blue & Orange and is motivated mainly by the next competition he has on the horizon. He originally got into CrossFit to stay in shape for work (firefighting) but now loves it for pushing himself and his limits.
Terry looks up to the people in his gym and training partner who pushes him everyday. In the short term he is preparing for Legends at Arizona State university (in December 2024), after that he is preparing for the CrossFit Open (2025), and long term he has his sights on the CrossFit Games as an Individual athlete.
One of Terry’s most memorable achievements so far is competing at the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games on a Team - he then went on to compete the following weekend in California & WON the Event!! Some challenges he has seen is that the recognition that Masters athletes receive is often overlooked / disregarded, when they put just as much time into the sport compared to younger athletes.
Terry strongly believes that surrounding yourself with the right people to motivate you is crucial to being a success. And the unknown when it comes to competitive events really gets him excited when pursuing CrossFit.
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“I’ve been friends with Aleksander (the owner of Apollo Strength) for years & have partnered with them for business - I often buy and use many of their great products!!!”
Use Code: SILVERBACK15 for additional Savings on Checkout.
TORI FiISSEL
Tori Fiissel was born July 28th, 1988 in Edmonton Alberta, Canada & is currently living in Calgary, Alberta. Her primary sport is CrossFit.
Her favourite colours are Light Blue & Teal - she loves getting outdoors with her dog when she has any extra free time. Her dad was the first one to introduce her to CrossFit.
She started working out because it simply made her feel good & she enjoyed pushing herself to be fitter and stronger. Discovering more about the sport of CrossFit, she wanted to pursue competing early on - she is passionate about competing in CrossFit because it really does push her to see what she’s capable of.
When she first started CrossFit, she looked up to many of the competitive women at the top level. She is very grateful to have had role models as a young girl that showcased being athletic and strong. One of her next goals is to qualify for the CrossFit Games Semifinals. Long term she wants to see how far she can possibly go in this sport all together.
Some of Tori’s most memorable achievements so far is placing 3rd at the Monster Games in 2024 & PRing any lifts in the past year. If she could give others advice, it would be to always believe in yourself, don’t compare your journey to any one else’s & surround yourself with people that bring you joy.
When it comes to competition Tori loves when all her hard work is seems to be coming together to finish an event. It is a very proud moment, knowing she did her absolute best & all that she was capable of - she finds competition is a very unique opportunity to push herself.
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"The first CrossFit gym I was at (Forged by Fire - in Edmonton), worked with Apollo Strength & had some of their equipment including barbells, plates, and a platform - from the very beginning Apollo has shown me a great amount of support!!”
Use Code: TORIFIISSEL15 for additional Savings on Checkout.
Nick “the fury” felber
Nick Felber was born October 11th, 1995 in Calgary Alberta, Canada & is currently living in Lethbridge, Alberta. His primary sport is Mixed Martial Arts.
His favourite colour is blue - he enjoys hunting, hiking and fishing outside of fighting. He originally got into MMA as an outlet at the age of 17. He quickly developed a pure love for the adrenaline & primal aspect of the sport - it became a massive driving factor for him.
Nick has a lot of respect for (and looks up to) his head coach “Lee Mein” (an MMA legend). Some of his role models include John Lineker and Mighty Mouse Johnson. Nick’s is working towards being the biggest promotion in MMA. UFC, one championship, bellator.
One of his most memorable achievement was beating cancer and making a professional debut within 5 months. In combination to overcoming cancer, he has found some of the biggest challenges is dealing with fighters backing out of (or cancelling) fights, and any physical injuries.
Nick’s advice to others is to know that “No one cares, you have to work harder. The hardest & darkest days are the most important to train on - it’s where the greatest knowledge is found.”
When I comes to competing for Nick, he loves the adrenaline of being locked in a cage & forced to find answers through pure violence.
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"Apollo has sponsored me for previous fights and is run by incredible people. They are reliable, caring and genuine. Their products are outstanding and designed for top performing athletes.”
Use Code: NICKTHEFURYFELBER for additional Savings on Checkout.