WRITER - Vancouver Lifestyles -
Mighty Mike (Continued)
Mike Talic and his wife and son arrive in Vancouver November 18, 1992. The airline loses their luggage. They know nobody. They have nothing. But, of course, they also have everything. They have each other and they have history and determination.
Mike begins by cleaning a restaurant at Park Royal. Night shift, of course. He holds down three jobs. He starts training people at the Olympic Gym on First Avenue. He begins to build an impressive list of clientele: Adrian Plavsic, Harold Hasselbach (2-time Super Bowl winner with the Denver Broncos), Trevor Linden, Jamie Taras, boxer Manny Sobrol.
Timing is everything. A few months after Plavsic and Linden begin their training with Mike, they are on the ice in New York in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals against the Rangers. Do you remember where you were?
When the movie stars are assigned to Hollywood North, right away they ask for the vegan chef, the juice machine and who’s the best trainer in town? Right away, word on the street is Mike, Mike is “The Coach,” Mike Talic’s your man.
-The friendship. The talking, always the talking. Sometimes, people pay me and never come. My job is push them to come, to work, stay healthy. It’s good for them, good for me. My job is some vinegar, some honey oil – a little push, a little pull, you know? And, remember, Canadians are not lazy! Nobody should say that. People like Trevor (Linden), Daved Benefield want to succeed. These people, they want to work hard! My luck is everyone around me is successful, doctors, lawyers, architects.
Olympian Charmaine Crooks, real estate mogul, Peter Wall, house-builder, Darryl Bosa, fashionista, Patrizia Leone, jeweller, Gisela Brinkhaus, art exhibitor, Barry Mowatt, doctors, dentists. Everyone wants to work out with Mike. Everyone wants to tell you they work out with Mike.
Bob Ransford, long time political operative, partner in Counterpoint Communications and Vancouver Sun columnist, spends two years with Mike. Every second morning, 6 a.m.
- Mike’s got a unique way of bonding that really motivates you. He doesn’t get excited. He doesn’t jump up and down. “Do your aerobics first, then come see me, Bob.” He always makes sure that you’re on the exact right progression. It’s all mapped out in his head. And you don’t question him. You just get this feeling that if you don’t do what he asks, something unfortunate might happen. It never does, but you just have this feeling. On the other hand, I never felt that he was going to push me further than I could go. Also he has a definite following. You’ll be working with him and then you realize that he’s got 5 other guys going at the same time! He’s amazing. It’s all understated power.
And how much do people like him? Can we ever quantify affection? In Mike’s case, well, yes. A few years after arriving here with nothing but a solid work ethic and some Sarajevo street smarts, he wants to buy a home. He’s got $10,000, but what little branch manager is going to float him a loan? A “New Canadian,” a gym rat, a sweat coach? So what happens? A friend writes him a cheque for $100,000.
-Man is Doctor, my friend. I am his coach. He hands me cheque, says, “Mike, buy your house. You will pay me back so much each month, like that, simple.
Then, there’s the whole Kyle Washington connection. The Washington family, as any good Vancouverite knows, owns Vancouver Shipyards. And Seaspan. And those famous Fast Ferries, which they bought from a certain provincial government for $1.25. Chairman and CEO of Washington Marine Group, Kyle is working out with Mike on a regular basis. He starts thinking about all those employees, all the Workers’ Compensation, all the good vibes he feels from a good sweat. Bingo! The private company gym is born. In October 2002, at the foot of Pemberton in North Vancouver, across the tracks and up the back stairs – but only if you have a key card, and you can only get a key card if you are an employee – the Washington Shipyards Employee Fitness Centre opens. It is spacious, it has every modern toy and convenience known to humankind and it is packed 24/7. The showers in the men’s locker room have frosted, embossed glass doors! Please!
Right away there’s a new sense of camaraderie on the shop floor. Within months, there’s a noticeably faster recovery time from injuries and stress. It’s no accident that Washington Marine Group is recognized as one of “the hundred best companies to work for in Canada.”
And who’s the resident Coach and Trainer? Right.
And how does “The Coach” stay in shape? Why, he follows his own advice – and then some.
-Most mornings, I’m walking up Lonsdale one hour. Early. Maybe I ride stationary bike one hour. But catching up on reading, news, other business, taking phone calls. Every day 45 minutes on weights, but each day a different part of body. Maybe today, shoulders, tomorrow, abs.
In the mornings, you can find Mighty Mike Talic at the Olympic Gym in Vancouver. In the afternoons, he’s at the Washington Fitness Centre in North Van. Evenings, he’s at home enjoying wonderful large meals with his wife and son. If you want to meet him for coffee, he’s the guy in the giant yellow SUV.
Large meals, large wheels. The man is living large. Eleven years ago, nothing. Today, he is the poster boy for Canadian immigration.
Mike Talic is that most glorious of endangered species. He’s a Happy Man.
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