Overview

Parkes Knepshield grew up in Kittanning Pennsylvania, about 40 miles North of Pittsburgh. He began sports at a young age with both wrestling and football. This is where he began to develop interests in physical fitness and sports performance. In the Fall of 2011, he attended Slippery Rock University to obtain his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. Throughout the program, he became increasingly involved in educating individuals on how to properly perform lifting techniques. He soon became more intrigued in the sports component of training, where he applied and was accepted as an intern at Finish First Sports Performance under Jeremy Hoy. After graduating in 2015 with his Bachelor’s in Science, he accepted his newly offered position working under Jeremy Hoy as the Assistant Strength Coach. Soon after accepting the position, Parkes continued his education through California University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Exercise Science with a Concentration in Athletic Performance and Injury Prevention whilst opening and operating the his own training facility for youth athletes. For more than seven years of training over hundreds of clients, teams, coaches, and parents, he has acquired extraordinary experience in designing strategies to meet their goals. His aspiration is to help every client to learn how to train safely, effectively, ingrain positive habits with longevity through the coaching of Summit Athletics.