Tiffeny Parker: USA Heptathlete, Bobsled 2022 Olympic Hopeful and Speed Coach

https://www.tiffenyparker.net/

@tiffiep

Tiffeny is an Olympic level multi-event heptathlete and is training to compete in the Winter Olympics in 2022 as a Bobsledder. Her career highlights a USA Olympic trials competition and has over eight USA and international championship performances. She also specializes in sprint and anaerobic coaching for CrossFit athletes, creating specific programming and specially developed sprint technique and speed workshops. She also works as a Valor Executive Success Coach, and a virtual nutritionist.

Read about Tiffeny's incredible athletic journey, and why she feels FRÉ is the best skincare for her, as an elite athlete.

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Track and field: the Heptathalon

I’m an athlete competing in the heptathlon for track and field; it’s a 7 event competition consisting of 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter sprint, long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run. It’s a wild ride!

In high school, I dabbled in a lot of track and field events and decided I wanted to do more than hurdles and high jumps. My coach encouraged me to compete in a heptathlon. Basically, the heptathlon chooses you, you don’t choose it!

Competing in the Olympic Trials

In 2016, I was training where I studied in years prior at Azusa Pacific University in California. I had 6 months before the Olympic Trials began and deep in my heart, I knew I had learned all I could from my current training home and needed to switch it up. I decided to change coaches: this was a HUGE risk and a gamble. I packed my jeep and drove 22 hours to Texas. It was an incredibly scary, but amazing journey.

I was lucky to have an incredible training partner who believed in me when I had any doubts while in Texas. I learned that you really need to build your support network when trying to do big things. She and I built each other up and competed in the Olympic Trials.

As an athlete, for a very long time in my career, I felt that I did not live up to the potential others said I had. Then I realized that I needed to take risks, to try new things, to accept I might fail, and to take a leap of faith. Moving to Texas was exactly this, taking that leap, and it’s how I hit the qualifying standard for the US.

Bobsled in 2022

When I didn’t make the Olympic team in 2016, I was devastated. I had been so caught up in the trials that I hadn’t even thought about 2017. I decided to quit running (that lasted for a month), then I met a friend who is a decathlete, and he told me to try bobsledding. I let it go initially as I just didn’t think it was for me. But when he convinced me to try, I only did so after originally not qualifying for a USA travel team that 2017 summer as a heptathlete. I called my friend and he had already given my contact information to the bobsled coach and that lead me to bobsled. I ended up qualifying for a travel team to Germany after all and after my track season, flew to New York and started my bobsled journey.

Now my life as an athlete is divided into bobsled season from August to March and then March to August is track and field. They pair up perfectly! Bobsledding is so different from my heptathlon training, it’s all about speed, power, and technical work. My goal now is to get as fast as is humanly possible and compete in the Winter Olympics in 2022.

A day in the life

I have a BA and a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Management, but through bobsledding, I received a USOC scholarship, and I decided to get a third degree in Project Management. In addition to studying, I also work as a Valor Executive Success Coach from 8-11 each morning. I help deep and grow a person's high performance in personal goal achievements in high-pressure situations. I also virtually give vision and goals workshops through my ThinkUpLife practice on an array of topics from performance to nutrition. They are 6- to 8-week programs where I help people achieve their goals and become their best selves. 

I’m also a virtual nutritionist focused on children and adults in the 95th percentile of obesity. This is a seriously rewarding job, being asked to commit to and coach a person that needs you is hard work, though emotionally tiring: you really need to listen, and when you learn to hear so you can help them, it is truly the best reward. I also work hard to give back to the community in my role as Lululemon Athletica run ambassador and even more honored as a FRÉ Ambassador, developing free fitness programs. I encourage people to get outside and move and in the world around them! 

"Life how you wanna life"

When people see accomplishments they generally see rainbows and butterflies, but they don’t always see the pain, loneliness, and the challenges overcome to get there. A lot of athletes aren’t willing to show their vulnerability, but being vulnerable is how you find your support group. It’s how you build friendships. My mantra is “life how you wanna life” because life is not perfect, and hey, sometimes it’s grammatically incorrect.

Why I love FRÉ 

What I look for in skin care depends on what season it is. Bobsled season is winter and the dry cold is unreal. Basically, all the moisture in your body is gone and your skin cracks. You put vaseline on and your feet will crack anyway. Frostbite is a real thing so I can’t put dewy moisturizer on, but on the other hand, I can’t use super oily skin products, because I break out! I had to find a moisturizer that allowed me to sweat.

In track season, I’m in the sun for 5 hours in the day and it’s 89 degrees. I need something that doesn’t leave me dry in the sun, that won’t clog pores, and of course, I wanted a high SPF. As an athlete, I sweat a lot and often, so finding FRÉ, and especially PROTECT ME with SPF30 is HUGE. I also love FRÉ’s new night cream RECOVER ME. These are the best products I’ve found as an elite athlete.

Watch Tiffeny talk about FRÉ HERE

Looking to form healthier habits? With the @tiffiep 7-week PDF program I am dedicated to helping people all around the find the JOY in creating an amazing community that will harvest a lifetime of memories as they form healthy habits without the need of a gym or equipment. I’d love you to download it and let me know what you think (it’s totally free!)

Get it HERE