Dogma Athletica ownership passed to longtime employee and Vail Yeti hockey player
Trainer Brent Sands set to help clients reach their goals and coach with a purpose
Dogma Athletica/Courtesy photo
For Brent Sands, fitness isn’t just time in the gym and racking up reps, it’s coaching clients with a purpose and sharing his passion for all of the modalities that represent a healthy lifestyle. Sands has been an athletic trainer in the Vail Valley since 2014 and recently purchased Dogma Athletica in the Riverwalk in Edwards.
Sands, also known as Sandzy to friends and teammates, grew up with a fitness mindset. A former NCAA college athlete and professional hockey player, he came to the Vail Valley during the summers while spending his first three winters playing hockey in Finland, Pensacola and upstate New York.
“I remember getting a call while I was out of state playing hockey that Vail was getting a hockey team,” Sands said. “The next year I settled down and joined the Vail Yeti Hockey team on their second season back in 2014. That year I got a job at the Vail Athletic Club, which is now Dryland Fitness at Gravity Haus Vail, as a strength and conditioning coach.”
It was at the Vail Athletic Club where Sands gained the attention of Rod Connolly, owner of Dogma Athletica. Connolly founded Dogma Athletica in 2006.
“I was training local Vail hockey legend, Mike Testwuide and getting him ready for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea where he was going to play for the home country,” Sands said. “Rod reached out to me with a job offer at Dogma. The Connolly’s became a second family to me, and I had the privilege to shadow and be mentored by Vail Valley’s premier strength and conditioning coach. Rod’s vision, ethos and training modalities incorporated an incredibly unique fusion of mindfulness, mobility, stability, breath work, strength and power. This combination was unlike anything I had seen in the strength and conditioning industry.”
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Sands had the opportunity to learn from Connolly from 2018-2022 until Connolly sold the business to Dan Swenson. This past summer, Swenson mentioned he was moving back to Evergreen and was putting the business up for sale.
“When Dan purchased the business from Rod we sat down together, and he told me he was only in this for a few years and hoped to sell it to me at some point. So, I have been brainstorming the purchase for a while,” Sands said.
Sands said that he has learned the importance of studying new modalities, mastering the subjects of biomechanics, exercise science, kinesiology, the endocrine and muscular skeletal systems, but has found it most important to coach with a purpose.
“Bryan Maroney and Jared Saunders, our other two strength coaches, are experts at following this ethos and philosophy, too. We feed off each other’s energy. We make one another better every day. It’s a concept I’ve found that drives exceptionalism in your teammates and coworkers,” Sands said.
Sands is also excited to announce that Dogma Athletica now offers private Pilates training, physical therapy and dry needling.
“Abby Evans, a 25-year resident and Pilates master, will be leading our new Pilates program. Mike Pindar is taking care of our athletes looking to return to sport or simply battling through pain or post-surgery recovery,” Sands said. “We are also now a pickup location for Colorado shareholders in Stars Farm, which is a local Colorado farm. You can purchase unpasteurized raw milk and Colorado pasture-raised eggs from them and pick it up after your workout at Dogma. That’s right, we’ll coach you on proper nutrition, as well!”
Dogma Athletica offers a full weight room with Olympic platforms, plenty of kettle bells and YBells, cardio equipment including Peloton bikes, ellipticals and treadmills. Classes and personal training sessions incorporate well rounded movements, strength and stamina building exercises and modifications when needed.
“We want to include as many modalities as the health and fitness game has to offer. That’s how you create longevity,” Sands said.
Discounts on memberships will be offered for Riverwalk employees, business owners and residents as well as emergency service personnel.
“We support our police officers, firemen, EMTs and ski patrollers and understand these jobs take a physical and mental toll on the mind and body. We want to help facilitate your well being,” Sands said. To learn more about Dogma Athletica, go to DogmaAthletica.com.
