Featured Athletes - The Vita Family

The Vita Family

When it comes to clients who have made fitness a family affair, the Vitas are one of the first families to come to mind. Each family member puts in the work, is consistent and is constantly achieving their goals despite the obstacles and challenges that the past several months have brought.

They are a joy to be around, each bringing their own individual personality into the gym and collectively showing how families can hold each other accountable and motivate one another in a journey to health and wellness.

Congratulations, The Vitas!

Tell us about yourselves.

on growing up: The Vita Family lives in Cortez on beautiful Sarasota Bay.  John is originally from New York, Tompie is from Knoxville, TN, and Reese and April are both born and bred in Bradenton.  We are a tight knit family who loves nothing more than being together.  Both Tompie and John come from big families and love to be with family.  We love to be on the water and in the outdoors in general. 

on work and education: John went to St. Leo University, Tompie went to the University of Tennessee and Eckerd College and Reese went to Furman University. Nowadays, John is a Financial Advisor with the Milestone Financial Group at Morgan Stanley and Tompie supports him and the rest of the family in everything they do. Joh was recognized as a “Best in State” advisor by Forbes Magazine for the state of Florida. Reese currently lives in Stamford Connecticut where he is a Virtual Engagement Associate for Morgan Stanley and April is studying elementary education at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.  

on sports: John played football in high school and Rugby in College, Tompie was a high school cheerleader, April was a National Champion and All American High School Cheerleader.  Reese holds the title in the family of most athletically accomplished.  He played football competitively most of his life.  As a high school quarterback he broke and still holds the all-time passing, and touchdown records at Cardinal Mooney High School.   He was recruited and played quarterback and special teams at Furman University as a division 1 athlete and was a member of the 2018 Southern Conference Football Championship team. 

on philanthropy: Our family is dedicated to service to others.  We love to share our blessings with those around us and especially to those who need a hand up.  Both John and April have been recognized by the Manatee Community Foundation with a Spirit of Manatee Award which is considered the highest recognition for philanthropy in our community. 

 

How did you all get started at Fit Crew?  

We got started at Fit Crew about 7 years ago, although John was first. He mainly did the group classes and started because he was overweight and facing health issues. At the advice of his doctor, he needed to find a place that could not only help him to get stronger and in shape, but to also help him learn to eat better and get more flexible. After a fairly serious back injury, John began to train with Andrew who helped him with flexibility, range of motion and strength. John recovered and began to work with Andrew one on one. Over the past several years, John has gotten his weight under control, reduced his Blood Pressure, reduced his blood sugar and strengthened his cardio system. Reese has also been with Fit Crew off and on for about 6 years. Reese benefited from the expert athletic training as well as mental toughness that comes along with a rigorous and targeted program. He trained during high school and during the college recruiting process. April, the most in shape of all of us, has been attending classes for several years and can often be seen in groups and working out by herself or with her mom. She loves being in shape and learning from the experts in the gym. Tompie is the comic of the group in the gym. She is lighthearted and enjoys the people more than the work. Andrew and Ray can confirm this! The crazy thing is, that Tompie has a body composition and blood work that is better than an elite athlete and makes the rest of the family jealous of her great health!

What have been your proudest athletic moments?  

We all take pride from different things from an athletic point of view. But currently, I think we are all most proud of our state of health as a family and how we all push each other to be healthy. We all contribute differently to our wellness but we all hold each other’s feet to the fire when it comes to our wellness.

 

What’s your favorite exercises? Least favorite? 

Favorites

John- Being Done with Leg Day

Tompie- Cardio

April- Everything

Reese- Working his Guns

Least Favorites

John- Burpees

Tompie- Burpees

April- Nothing

Reese- Anything his dad does better than him

What do you think makes Fit Crew different from other gyms that you’ve tried in the past

As a family, we have always been impressed by the care that the entire gym shows for each other.  The leadership, trainers, staff, participants have always been welcoming and have always been genuinely concerned for the progress of us as individuals and as a family.  It is impressive when you get contacted by a trainer who wants to know how you are feeling and how things are going.  It makes you feel special when they remember something about you and something you need help with.  People go out of their way at Fit Crew and it is something unique to this program. 

What do you like to do as a family when you’re not training at Fit Crew?

We love the outdoors from sporting events, to concerts, boating and camping.  We are all nuts about Disney, we all love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and are committed to helping others and making the world a better place. 

 We have so many stories and memories as a family and could fill the page with stories.  Our favorite place is probably our Lake House outside of Knoxville, TN.  We live on Norris lake and our home there is a place our family and friends gather and enjoy nature and each other.  We boat, ski, wake board, surf, jet ski, fish, cruise, grill, party and just plain chill.  It is a magical place and one we can go and just concentrate on being a family.  Life is simple there and we can concentrate on each other without the world closing in around us. 

Tell us a fun fact that we might not already know about you.

Tompie and John were introduced by some friends in Tampa in 1986.  She actually called and invited John to a 4th of July party.  There were fireworks and Tompie has pursued John ever since.