On the morning of 12 July 2018 Coach Mike Pimentel passed away following a near two-year battle with cancer.  His ‘celebration of life’ service was held recently in his home town of Cape Cod.  We believe this moment should be accompanied by a few words in tribute to Mike.

I first had communication with Mike in early 2000. He had been exposed to the news that I was going to be giving a seminar in Braintree MA, which wasn’t too far from where he was living in Boston at the time. He had also seen a flyer advertising an upcoming professional development camp we were offering following the seminar.

What happened next was the subject to a story I heard Mike tell time after time, and I never tired hearing it. Now keep in mind we had never met, at this time he hadn’t heard me speak, he had only just heard of me and read a few on my articles.

Mike emailed me, introducing himself and saying he was looking at attending the seminar.  However, he had one question – how could I justify charging what was the equivalent of his monthly mortgage for a few days with me in the additional ‘boot camp’. We had only just introduced the concept of professional development boot camps to the North American market in 1999, inspired by the equivalent in the personal development industry.

I remember writing back and telling Mike that I don’t justify, and perhaps the upcoming boot camp was not something he was suited to.  As Mike told it, that response – a calm, take it away kind of response – was a bit of a shock to him.

So Mike as he told it, attended the seminar, and by the end of it approached me and introduced himself as ‘that guy who sent you that email asking you to justify the price of your boot camp!’  As a chat unfolded I could see he was really attracted to the content he had been exposed to in the seminar. He told me he was going to go home and convince his wife to allow him to register for my upcoming event.

Which was a great outcome for both of us and all the lives he touched, as that decision set off a chain reaction that would impact literally thousands of athletes in the New England area.

It was also a great start to a long and fruitful relationship, from an event that coincidently also witnessed the most aggressive back lash I had even experienced during a seminar. You may have heard me refer to the ‘Boston walkout’, where a local coach summonsed his followers in a very public meeting in the middle of the presentation room during a break and immediately led them out of the building. The next thing I heard of was later that day when my event host called me in tears such was the nature of the threatening email she received at the end of the day.

So you had two locals who took very different paths.

Mike not only attended that next KSI Boot Camp, he went on to attend and host approximately 40 multi-day intense professional development camps with me during the next eighteen (18) years, including at least thirteen (13) years in a row to our week long annual event in Park City UT; multiple events in New York; a flight to Australia for five days in camp with athletes – to name a few.

Mike would have attended the fourteenth year in a row at our annual international get-together in 2017, had his cancer diagnosis not got in the way.  Now we head into our fifteenth year in a row knowing that at least in earthly terms our longest serving coach will not be joining with us. Note I said in earthly terms.

From early 2000 for the best part of a decade we ran annual (and sometimes bi-annual) events out of Tufts University in Medford, Boston MA.  Mike served this university firstly as an Athletic Trainer (which was his initial degree) and then as their inaugural strength coach.  Mike downgraded his role at Tufts around 2010s to part-time, then finally ‘retired’ from the university early in the next decade. By the time Mike left Tufts he had built up the facility from a few loose pieces of equipment to a facility that any Div. 1 college would be proud of, along with a small team of assistant strength coaches.

During his twenty-six (26) years at Tufts Mike impacted well over 5,000 athletes by my estimates. His typical annual responsibility per year as the sole strength coach was between 700 and 1,000 athletes, something most college strength coaches are all too familiar with.

During our collaboration at Tufts we worked to optimize individualization of the training process, shift the culture, the injury incidence, and competitive performances. We worked closely with many of the head coaches in various sports, and also introduced an undergraduate formal course for physical training instructors with the university curriculum.

Late in the first decade post 2000 Mike established a 10,000 sq ft athlete training facility on Cape Cod. Not only did the locals receive massive benefits from the service Mike offered, our coaches also benefited from their potential two visits per year for a week at a time, immersed in the KSI way of training athletes.

Mike’s commitment to serving the athletes was totally in line with KSI. He suffered the conflict we all face as client-centric service providers – spending so much time with people who ‘need us’, sometimes at the expense of our time with family.  Mike’s attendance at our annual camp in Park City in August each year invariability meant he missed his wife’s birthday. That was tough. Tough on all of us, as I had to pick the needles out of my back as well! (Just joking with you Rho!)

As a trained physical therapist Mike had an incredible understanding of the body and healing, which was supplement by his rare touch in tissue work. I been around the world more than a few times, and you don’t find hands like this too often.

As a physical preparation coach Mike was able to empty his cup and master the KSI way. I believe his innate intuition not only led him to us, but prompted him to take the leap of faith and become a KSI student.  He went on to become not only our longest serving coach, but an amazing teacher and mentor to all the coaches in the KSI Coaching Program.  This influence will not disappear despite his physical presence no longer being with us. He is featured in so many educational videos in the massive vault of KSI coach only educational videos that he will continue to educate and influence coaches for generations to come.

As a practitioner, Mike was the ultimate role model of what we seek to create. Little to no social media and internet presence, little to no interest in marketing. He didn’t need to – when you are as competent as he was, as a rare member of the KSI graduates – you let your actions, your competency, do the talking.  Athlete centric, humble, forever a student, and therefore the ultimate teacher.

As a human Mike exemplified the values we stand for and attract.  Humility, integrity, and excellence.  He added his own qualities of kindness and caring, qualities that come from within, cannot be taught.

As a husband and father the quality of his relationships spoke for themselves. I have watched this unfold during the last nearly twenty years, met his kids and wife multiple times every year over these years – you could not ask for a better dad and husband. My wife reminds me of this often!

I understand some reading about Mike for the first time in this tribute may be inclined to assume this is a case of saying good things once a person passes. Anyone who knows me better would not suffer this conclusion, as they know the directness of my words, unaffected by life or passing.

Throughout Mikes two year battle with cancer, I heard of no complaints, no anger, not bitterness. Only positiveness and determination. We spoke weekly, as we had for the past two decades. It was as recent as April this year we were on the Cape for a week of coach education, and Mike appeared and taught the coaches every day.  It was only days before his passing that Mike and I spoke on a live chat call and his focus was not on himself.

In fact Mike was very low key throughout his battle with cancer, so some of you may have been surprised to hear of his passing. Unlike some cases in our industry he was not a person to self-promote through his condition.

I know those who had the honor and privilege to meet with – and better still, be served by Mike – know I have not embellished. In fact, some would suggest I have not been lavish enough.

I could talk about the loss to us of this great coach, at only 52 years. However I am conscious of those with the greatest loss and our need to support them – his family.  I am also conscious of the choice we have to celebrate life as much if not more than mourn loss.

We may no longer have our brother with us on this earth. However we have his life lessons, and his ongoing presence from the other side.

I am extremely happy in knowing that his teachings and wisdom will be passed on to generations to come in the KSI Coaching Program.

One of the legacy’s Mike established was a foundation called the “Coach P Scholarship of Sportsmanship”. Donations can be addressed to c/o The Cape Cod Foundation, 261 Whites Path, Unit 2, South Yarmouth, MA 02664.

Thanks Mike for your contribution to so many, in the past, the present and in the future. In the words his family choice to place on the T-shirts produced to raise money for his foundation, you left this world a better place than you found it!