I first met te Rangiatea (Atea) Fraser 3 years ago, when I joined the gym at Ngā Purapura. He was completing a 3 year course at Te Wānanga -O-Raukawa in Sport & Exercise Science. I was an elderly pakeha in awe of Ngā Purapura’s wonderful new exercise complex, wanting to take advantage of it’s fitness-enhancing potential.
Since then, my fitness regime has become three weekly gym sessions before breakfast, but I was getting bored with my times on the treadmill and exercycle. Atea’s reappearance was a joyous occasion: ‘Hey, bro where have you been?’ He’d been on a year-long course at Wellington’s Weltec.
When we last met, Atea was keen to advance his pugilistic skills as a professional boxer. Having seen what boxing did to Muhammed Ali, I was full of doubt and tried to dissuade him. Atea grinned, and said his last fight is coming up, and then he’d retire. ‘Boxing is too selfish, and I wasn’t going to make a million dollars’. Wise man.
Atea’s Wellington year saw him achieve a level 5 qualification in Personal Training. The course started with 60 people, and only half lasted the distance. ‘How was it?’, I asked. ‘Extremely hard’ was the reply. Lots of study, but the physical side wasn’t so difficult. The best part was Atea’s inspiring tutor, who had been a NZ rep in weightlifting at the Commonwealth games. Inspiration is apparently a transferrable skill, because Atea has it in spades! If you’re looking for someone to help motivate you in the pursuit of health & fitness, he’s your man.
Atea Fraser works Mondays & Fridays on TWOR’s payroll at Ngā Purapura, and the rest of the week he’s at the gym, available as a Personal Instructor.
If he can motivate me, he must be a magic man. Call him to see how he can help you.