Our Athlete Ambassadors

It’s energy and attitude that have propelled World Champion Sonya Looney on a mountain bike across the rugged Himalayas, through sweltering sand dunes of the Sahara Desert, and through the clammy jungles of Sri Lanka. Sonya Looney is an adventure traveler on a bike seeking out the hardest races in the most remote, beautiful, and interesting places in the world. She believes in pushing limits because that’s when you realize you are far more capable than ever imagined. Sonya is also a professional speaker, keynoting at large conferences and has spoken at TEDx. Don't let her accolades fool you though, she loves craft beer, cookies, and joking around.

No matter if it’s a trail run, road ride or swim session, this coach can do it all. His passion to teach/train was a natural progression while getting more involved with triathlon. His expertise in Bike fitting, athlete assessment and physiologic testing is no joke. Luke spends the majority of his time grooming young athletes to reach their sporting potential. Any time left over is spent in the mountains or on the road fine tuning his craft. He believes in effective goal setting and commitment to foundational training to be the keys to success.

Affectionately known as “Racey Stacey”, Stacey Shand is an ultra-marathoner, ultra-triathlete and extreme racer. Stacey entered the sports of running and triathlon 7 years ago as part of a physical rehabilitation ‘promise’ made to herself after a car accident. As she tried common race distances out for her first time, Stacey found herself more interested in how much further she could take her body versus how much faster it could go. This curiosity has led her on a route of the ‘extreme’. Recently given the title “ultra-extreme marathon runner” (Calgary Herald).

My name is Brock Hoel and I am a 17 year old Canadian Junior Elite Triathlete. I have had the opportunity to represent Canada at both the Youth Olympic Games Qualifier in Salinas Ecuador and the Junior World Championships in Gold Coast Australia. With each season I enter, I always have one goal which is to improve my physical and mental condition for the next one. With this mindset of a constant ramp of improvement, I believe it is possible to stand on top of the Olympic podium. However this would not be possible without the help of my coach and my Chiropractor.

I first came to Valeo in 2014 after some challenging early years in triathlon due to problems with my shins and ankles. With the help of Dr. Snow I quickly got back to running and have not missed a session due to injury in over 3 years. I am proud to be a Valeo athlete and am ever grateful to Dr. Snow and his amazing passion to help his patients. He not only helps me stay on top of my muscular recovery, but overall keeps my body moving properly so I can train to perform at my best.

My name is Miklos Bencsik and my sport is Olympic Weightlifting. The lifts we perform are the Snatch and Clean & Jerk lifts which essentially is the weight being lifted off the floor and hoisted overhead with technical precision, speed and power. I fell in love with this sport as a junior lifter back in 2004 when I realized how much it affected my athleticism in Rugby and every day casual sports. I started the sport in November 2003 at the age of 14 and competed nationally up to the age of 19 which after I first retired June 2009. After joining Crossfit with Crossfit Glenmore in February 2012, by June 2012 I entered a local weightlifting competition in Surrey, B.C. called the Sea Fest Open which re-sparked my interest in the sport. From there I started working more with my new found coach Guy Greavette and we worked on qualifying for the 2013 Canadian Senior Olympic weightlifting Nationals from which I placed 2nd in the 105+ Bodyweight Category. From August 2013 to December 2014 I re-habed two herniated disks related to work and my sport and once again qualified for the 2015 nationals placing 3rd. In 2016 I finally took 1st place at the 2016 nationals which also qualified me to participate as part of team Canada at the 2016 F.I.S.U World University Championships in Mexico. I have currently been studying to become a Registered Massage Therapist in B.C. since May 2016 and will be graduating in March of 2018. There is a constant sense of accomplishment with training. Without Valeo Health clinic backing me since November of 2012, I don't think I would be standing here with the accomplishments I have now in the sport. Just going there I have come back from large injuries and learned many ways to prevent and manage my body to perform better. I will continue to work with them for as long as I continue to be competitive because they never have steered me wrong once!

My story is just the same as every other average person trying to lose weight and gain muscle mass. I was overweight and out of shape. I was always an active athlete in sports, but when it came to the gym, I had no idea what to do. I had the drive, the passion and motivation, but I needed more tools in my toolbox in order to succeed at the fitness level I wanted to achieve. A change needed to happen, and it did. I changed my whole life, my habits, my way of thinking; I educated myself further….BOOM! Like with any hard work, dedication and patience, it was the key to my fitness success.