Acceleration Institute, LLC

Athletic Republic Level III Trainer

Andrei started playing hockey in the small Siberian town of Angarsk.  He had already won two national championships and a national tournament MVP by the age of 14.  After this success he was successfully recruited into the Red Army Organization.  At age 15 he was rated as one of the top 3 players in the country.  He was now playing professionally in Russia.  Shortly thereafter he moved to Boston, playing junior A with the Tyngsboro Jr. Huskies, leading the league in scoring two years successively recording 135 and 115 points.  After this Andrei received a full ride to Elmira College earning rookie of the year, several MVP's, and the ECAC All Star Game MVP.  He then received a "Top 20 Sniper's in Elmira College History" Award.  After graduation, Andrei joined A.G. Edwards and then moved on to JP Morgan Private Wealth Management.  Keeping his passion alive, Andrei coached with the Chicago Young Americans AAA Hockey Organization.  His first year with a U-16 girls team they made it to Nationals losing in the quarterfinals.  10 out of 15 girls on this team went on to Division 1 programs.  The last two seasons Andrei has coached a 97 team consistently being ranked high in the country.

Athletic Republic Level III Trainer

Chris played four years of Division I hockey at Colorado College in the WCHA, graduating with a degree in Sociology in 2007. After graduating, Chris received a Master of Science degree in Sport Studies from Bemidji State University. While at Bemidji State (2007-2009), Chris was the assistant coach and goalie coach for the women's Division I ice hockey team, while also having duties as the video coordinator and strength and conditioning coach.

Chris received his Athletic Republic Level 3 certification in Salt Lake City, UT in 2009. He is also a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), and is First Aid/CPR/AED Certified through the American Red Cross.

Contact Chris at 720.254.0077 or by email at Ckawano@BigBearIce.com

Athletic Republic Level II Trainer

Alex Blum started playing hockey at the age of four years old. In addition to hockey he also played soccer, baseball and picked up golf in his younger years. When he turned 13 he focused on competitive hockey and through his drive and hard work he ended up playing Midget Major AAA for the Littleton Hawks. At the end of his senior year in high school Alex walked away from numerous chances to play Juniors to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an Army Ranger. Once again through his drive and dedication to his goals he made it through some of the hardest training known to man and was assigned to 2nd Ranger Battallion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Alex is out of the Army and currently trains in mixed martial arts focusing on Muy Thai, Judo, Wrestling and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu.

Athletic Republic Level II Trainer

Shawn played in Oklahoma City for Junior Blazers and for his leadership qualities, he was voted to be a Captain in 1999-2000 seasons. After a great performance in Junior Hockey, Shawn was recruited to play at the University of Oklahoma D1 ACHA, where he competed and studied until 2006. Currently, Shawn is coaching for the Evolution Elite Hockey Academy. Shawn is Level 2 Certified with Athletic Republic.