"Train 4 Life is one of the things I look forward to the most every week."
Over a year into volunteering with the program, Train 4 Life™ has become a highlight of Ann Ketch's week and a source of lasting friendships.
"It's so great. Just the relationships you build with the athletes and other volunteers, the perspective it gives you, and really just the joy that it brings you every time you're here," Ketch said.
Ketch, a Brentwood native and former nurse, started volunteering with Train 4 Life™ in January 2025 at D1 Training Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee. She had known head coach Santiago Allaria for years before joining, but it was her son, David, who signed up first and asked her to come along. She said yes and has been there ever since.
When Ketch first walked into the gym, she wasn't sure what to expect.
"I didn't know what to expect developmentally, physically, emotionally, and intellectually," she said. "It's been surprising in good ways, seeing so much capability in all of them."
One of the first things she learned was that her coaching style did not need to be gentle. The athletes welcome a challenge.
"It's okay to push the athletes," she said. "You don't have to be so coddling."
What has stood out to her since is how much of that drive comes from the athletes themselves. Ketch recalled working recently with an athlete in the weight room who told her she wanted to push herself that day. So Ketch gave her a heavier weight. The next week, the athlete asked for more. And the week after that, more again.
"You saw this increase in strength, or an increase in what she thought she was capable of," Ketch said.
That growth is something the program is designed to capture. At the beginning and end of each twelve-week cycle, athletes complete a set of biometric and physical assessments that measure their progress. It is one of Ketch's favorite parts of how Train 4 Life™ is built.
"I love the assessments so the athletes can see in front of their eyes the growth they are making," she said.
Her background as a nurse has also given her a deeper appreciation for what some athletes are accomplishing. She pointed to one athlete in particular, Connor Bosse, a golfer who will represent Team Tennessee at the 2026 USA Games in Minnesota.
"My understanding of what might be happening with him and his challenges makes what he's doing remarkable," she said.
Bosse's family, like Ketch's, has ties to Vanderbilt. The shared connection has been a fun one for David and Connor, who are close in age. Connor is one of many athletes Ketch has built a relationship with, and the list keeps growing.
"As time goes on, there's a bigger and bigger group that recognizes me. I know details about their life I can ask about," she said.
Beyond the relationships, Ketch said the athletes have taught her something she carries with her outside the gym.
"So much of what we think we are capable of is what we tell ourselves, and what we believe other people say," she said. "So much of it is not about what we think. It's about our mindset."
When asked what she would tell someone considering volunteering with Train 4 Life™, Ketch did not hesitate.
"Do it. There's so much to gain," she said. "It puts your own life in perspective, and you get to do something positive in the community."
