Behind every successful field day is one of our fantastic coaches that brings the spirit of play to life. This post is the start of our Coach Spotlight series, highlighting the individuals who make the magic happen for our clients. 

Winter is one of our most active coaches based in New York City. Prior to joining Throwback, she obtained her bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington DC and master’s degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. She followed this with a fifteen-year career in law enforcement, first as a Detective in New York City, then as a Special Agent with NCIS.

After two deployments to Afghanistan and multiple moves around the country, she decided to make a change. Winter has always had a passion for fitness and helping people, so becoming a certified personal trainer was a natural next step. After certification, she joined both Orangetheory and Throwback as a coach. She remains connected to her previous profession by working for CBS Television as the Technical Advisor for the series NCIS: Hawaii.

What is your favorite part of coaching Throwback events? 

At the beginning of every event there is an understandable look of skepticism on participants’ faces as they see the nerf balls, hacky sacks and other middle school flash-back inducing equipment being set up. My favorite part is watching those looks being replaced with unselfconscious enjoyment, the kind we all used to have as children before responsibilities and expectations got in the way, once the games begin. There’s something special about our events that brings out the kid in us who just wants to play, laugh and have fun with our friends. I love watching coworkers who are used to seeing each other in a work capacity let loose and get to know each other on a more personal level. The sense of camaraderie is always stronger among the group members after the event.

What is your favorite field day game?

My favorite field day game is Battlechips. It’s impossible not to get caught up in the fast-paced excitement of the game and the clever tactics teams come up with together to win.

What was your favorite game growing up?

My fondest memory of playing games growing up is of Alley Kickball. I grew up in St. Louis and during my elementary school years we lived in an apartment with an alley between the back of our building and the backs of the buildings on the next street over. My older brother and I would meet other kids from the neighborhood to play a version of kickball that included “garage roof zones,” “tree balls” and frequent pauses for passing traffic.

What’s your favorite way to recharge? 

I recharge by spending time in Central Park with my dog. Between the beauty of the park and the constant look of joy on my puppy’s face, there’s never much left from a bad day by the time I get home.