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It all started with a general question: How do I perform a good squat?
Larry Gabbin, Jr., AuD ‘16 had just finished his first year at Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology and was looking for a way to relieve some of the stress of graduate school. He decided the best way to do that was to lift weights at the Hafter Student Community Center on the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus.
That’s where he first met Landon Godsey III, program director and fitness guru at the center. Not only did Gabbins receive expert fitness advice from Godsey, he also got a mentor and a friend.
The depth of that relationship was illustrated on April 30, 2021, when Gabbin married Angela Cline. The two wanted someone special to them to share in their special day, so they asked Godsey to be the officiant for the ceremony.
It’s not unusual, according to Godsey, that fitness trainers and their clients develop personal relationships. That’s because fitness training can be a highly personal journey for some people.
“We get a chance to interact with students carrying a heavy workload that grad students are dealing with,” said Godsey. “A big part of training is being motivational, getting people to help understand their goals. Through that process, pretty close bonds are being created. And, a lot of them say things like, ‘If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.’”
Working together closely and developing those bonds sometimes leads to being invited to weddings, or in Godsey’s case, being invited to officiate weddings.
Although the Cline-Gabbin wedding was the first time Godsey served as an officiant, he’s been asked by other Salus alums to officiate their weddings as well. Kirk Matoba, OD ‘17, and Emily (Cuprys) Matoba, OD ‘18, asked Godsey to do the honors their wedding too, but he wasn’t yet certified. In addition, Godsey has been invited and has attended other Salus alum weddings, including Joseph Wadas, OD ‘16; Abby (Mott) Holauchock, AuD ‘14 and Griffin Holauchock, MMS ‘13; and Dana (McAdams) Giannetti, AuD ’14.
The way to become qualified to officiate at weddings requires a trip to the internet for instructions. After paying the minimal fee, Godsey paid received his certification to become a minister under the Universal Life Church. He said getting that certification was something he hadn’t thought about until he was asked to officiate a wedding ceremony.
“Some have said to me, ‘I want you to be a part of my wedding. For this situation, you need to be the officiant because we wouldn’t be here without you.’ I appreciate the compliment,” said Godsey.
He added that many people find different types of energy at different types of gyms. The management company that employs Godsey, Corporate Fitness Works, partners with universities and private companies without necessarily being worried about quotas for the number of clients it has or raising revenue. That enables the fitness trainers at the Hafter Center to concentrate solely on the goals of their clients, whether that be weight loss, strength building, or getting a client to the point of fitting into a wedding dress for the big day.
“We have to keep a positive attitude going, so we talk. When a student comes in stressed out and they seem kind of lost, we ask ‘How was your day?’ said Godsey. “If they’ve had stress, what they need is a smile and a positive attitude and we can start on the treadmill while you talk to me. We’re here to listen, and then start pointing you to different exercises and different ways to express and let that energy out and bring the good stuff in. If it’s too impersonal, people don’t succeed.”
Godsey said it’s fascinating to watch how strong-minded and dedicated the Salus students are to their individual crafts. It becomes a personal adventure with a fitness trainer to be able to look into the mirror and be happy with what they’re seeing. “The school is challenging and students need a little bit of victory every now and again,” he said.
Gabbin, an audiologist with Clark Audiology in Philadelphia, said Godsey did a great job officiating the ceremony. “I couldn’t figure out another way to say thank you to him other than to ask him to officiate my wedding,” he said.
Godsey said he would absolutely officiate or be present at the weddings of Salus alumni if asked to do so.
“Myself and my team, the other fitness trainers, we become their non-grad student friends,” he said. “We are dealing with a very personal part of someone’s life.”
