John Taylor (fitness coach)

John Taylor (born February 14, 1980 in Seattle, WA) is a fitness coach from the series Too Fat for 15: Fighting Back^[1] on the Style Network. Taylor is a physical educator and was the recipient of the 2015 NJEA Teacher's Who Rock Award, the 2016 Community Leadership Award from the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, and the 2016 New Jersey Charter Schools Association Teacher of the Year.

Early life

Taylor attended Kent-Meridian High School in Kent, Washington where he played football and rugby. While at Kent-Meridian, Taylor was a honorable mention National High School Football All-American.^[2] After graduating in 1998, Taylor played one season of college football at McPherson College^[3] in Kansas. After a shoulder injury ended his playing career, Taylor transferred to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree in 2005.

Taylor later received a Master of Science in Sports Studies from High Point University in High Point, North Carolina in 2007,^[4] and completed coursework at Western Carolina University^[5] to receive his teaching certificate in physical education in 2009. Taylor completed his doctorate in Educational Leadership from North Central University in 2015, and his school principal certification from Caldwell University in 2016.

Reality television career

Taylor is a certified personal trainer and athletic trainer.^[6] Prior to graduating from High Point University, Taylor was hired as the physical education teacher at Wellspring Academy in Brevard, North Carolina. Wellspring was a school for obese middle and high school students, and Taylor helped 178 students lose over 12,000 pounds in five years.^[7] In 2009, the BBC filmed the documentary, Georgia's Story^[8] about Georgia Davis, a high school student from England attending Wellspring Academy to lose weight.^[9] After the documentary aired, the Style Network created the reality television series Too Fat for 15: Fighting Back as a spin-off to Georgia's Story.

Throughout the series, Taylor helped students lose weight through a variety of physical activities including resistance training, group exercise, running, team sports, and adventure education. In season 2, Taylor coached his students in a dodgeball tournament, which they won 2nd place.

Personal life

Taylor's birth name was John Paul Wetta. In 1989, his father, who went by the name Ricky Allen Wetta, was arrested for attempted murder.^[10] After his arrest and subsequent fingerprinting, law enforcement officials discovered Ricky Allen Wetta was really Jerry Balisok, an FBI fugitive wanted for check forgery. Law enforcement believed Balisok died in the Jonestown massacre.^[11] Balisok's crimes, his life as a fugitive, and later apprehension were featured in the book Wicked North Alabama by Jacquelyn Procter Reeves.^[12]

Post-TV career

Taylor has written a book and numerous fitness magazine and newspaper articles^[13] since the cancellation of Too Fat for 15: Fighting Back. "Professional wrestling and bodybuilding: Does society care about their use of PED's?"^[14] was published in 2015, and Taylor was the featured fitness columnist for The Mountaineer newspaper from 2011-2014^[15]

Taylor became a spokesman for the sports nutrition company Advocare in 2011^[16]

Taylor is active in various fitness programs such as Girls on the Run,^[17] BOKS Kids by Reebok,^[18] Nike's Marathon Kids,^[19] and the Billion Mile Race ^[20] by Newbalance. Taylor is a two-time recipient of the Let's Move! Active Schools National Recognition Award,^[21] and a two-time recipient of the NFL 's Fuel Up to Play 60 Touchdown School Award.^[22] In 2016, Taylor was named a Community Leadership Award Winner by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition,^[23] and was honored by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program for running a high quality physical education program^[24]

Taylor has taught physical education at BelovED Community Charter School in Jersey City, New Jersey since 2012,^[25] and is also the school's Athletic Director.^[26] He and his wife, Andreya, live in Matawan, New Jersey with their daughters, Molly and Riley.

References