Our Team
Message From Our Founder: Tim Gourlay
Thank you for your interest in Fitset Ninja! My name’s Tim, and I started Fitset Ninja in 2018. Looking for ways to help people get and stay active, I set up a pop up obstacle course in Kingsway Mall (Edmonton, AB). The response was amazing! Kids and adults loved it. And I loved seeing them challenge themselves, try new things and get a re-ignited passion for physical activity.
Our first permanent location was opened in 2019 in Edmonton. A Calgary location quickly followed in 2022. The response to our programming has been exceptional. As of September 2024, we have over 1,300 athletes that train with us on a weekly basis in our classes. And we have had almost 180,000 students come through our Mobile Obstacle Course for schools.
As a former professional athlete, it was important to me that the programming Fitset offered prepared our athletes for life inside and outside of the gym. It wasn’t enough to help people grow in the sport of ninja or tricking or parkour. They needed to leave our gym set up for even more success in their school, work and relationships.
I am grateful to every athlete and guest who has checked out our programming. My dream is to help make ninja a mainstream sport, and we are getting there! Every Albertan that experiences this sport with us helps to bring us closer to realizing that dream.
Thanks for reading this! If you have any questions or comments about our company or programming, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
P.S. If you wanted to know a bit more about me, I live in Edmonton with my wonderful wife and two kids. Some people have some negative things to say about Edmonton….not me! I love it here. It is NOT Deadmonton. We are a vibrant, unique city with amazing people and I am proud to call Edmonton home. (Calgary is pretty great too). I am passionate about physical activity, my family, setting and working towards goals and achieving my daily protein intake.
Sincerely,
Tim
Some of our Amazing Team Members
Adrhian - Tricking Coach, Camp Coach & Weekend Ops Coach
Alleya - Ninja, Tricking & Parkour Coach
Branden - Ninja Coach, Tricking Coach, Camp Lead
Branden started his ninja journey back when Fitset Ninja was located in Kingsway mall. He came in at the last minute when he had seen an ad for a ninja warrior competition and thought that maybe he’d give it a shot not knowing that he would come first place in his division. Branden grew up in the small town of Barrhead playing hockey and baseball as his two main sports but also played volleyball, basketball, ran track and cross country during school. Before ninja had taken over Branden worked as a lifeguard, as a hockey coach and also as a beekeeper (p.s don’t be a beekeeper). Branden is currently taking his bachelors of elementary education and loves working with kids. The thing that Branden loves the most about working at Fitset is getting to see all the hard work that gets put in by the athletes then seeing them succeed.
Calum - Ninja, Tricking & Weekend Ops Coach
Dylan - Facility Manger, Head Competitive Team Coach and Ninja Coach
Dylan comes from a vast background of sports including Rock Climbing, Marathon Running, Spartan Racing, Hockey and Track & Field. He first discovered ninja by watching the American Ninja Warrior show way back in 2012, and after seeing that first episode he knew he had found his passion. Years later he found his new home at Fitset Ninja and has not looked back since. It is his dream to make ninja a mainstream sport accessible to everyone. Dylan has qualified multiple times for UNAA World Finals, NNL world Finals and OCR World Championships. He is afraid of heights. Also, all of his strength comes from his powerful beard.
Harry - Floor Lead & Camp Lead
Isaiah - Tricking Coach, Ninja Coach & Camp Lead
Jeremy - Head Competitive Team Coach & Ninja Coach
Jeremy started his ninja journey way back in 2016 when he did kids classes and summer camps at Corfit in Calgary. He was very excited for Fitset Ninja to open and was the first customer at the temporary Kingsway Mall location. Jeremy has been training at Fitset since it moved to its permanent location. His long term goal is to compete at a high level in ninja and has aspirations to be a sports broadcast journalist in the future. What Jeremy loves about ninja is that there’s always a new obstacle to conquer and that the ninja community is so supportive on and off the course.
Jianna - Ninja Coach & Weekend Ops Coach
Jonathan - Ninja Coach, Camp Coach & Weekend Ops Coach
Julian - Mobile Obstacle Course Coach
Krishnan - Ninja Coach, Tricking Coach, Camp Coach & Weekend Ops Coach
Maara - Ninja Coach, Camp Coach & Weekend Ops Coach
Nia - Ninja Coach & Camp Coach
Owen - Tricking Coach, Mobile Obstacle Course Coach & Camp Coach
Saadat - Ninja Coach & Floor Lead
Steph - Customer Support Specialists, Guest Experience
You will see Steph at the front desk or online as one of Fitset’s Customer Support Specialists.
Steph was a Hairstylist for 20 years, and she loves working with people and being creative. Needing a career change, she started here! Steph was also a dancer for 20 years and she finds the balance obstacles to be her favourite at Fitset! She will jump on one every now and then for fun since balance always comes in handy when she has a crazy dog full of energy who is 50lbs and likes to body-check Steph when she wants attention.
TJ - Guest Experience, Ninja Coach, Camp Coach & Mobile Obstacle Course Coach
Tim - Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Tim Gourlay is the founder and CEO of Fitset Ninja and is convinced that life is just better when you're physically active regularly. This belief was part of the original inspiration for starting Fitset Ninja and it's his vision to turn Ninja into a mainstream sport right across the country, with Fitset Ninja locations in every major Canadian City!
Before starting the company Tim's focus was on his own athletic journey. He played 2 years of post secondary volleyball with the Red Deer College Kings and then 3 years with the U of A Golden Bears. During those 5 seasons he won 4 national championships before continuing his athletic career with the Canadian National Team and then professionally in the German Pro Bundesliga. After retiring from professional volleyball in 2012, Tim got his MBA from the University of Alberta and started his first business Fitset, Edmonton's multi-studio pass. Tim received a University of Alberta Alumni Innovation Award in 2019 for his efforts with Fitset pass and then decided to open his own facility, Fitset Ninja, which is his primary focus now. Tim loves living here in Edmonton with his wife Katarina and two kids Clara & Novak and two dogs Hugo and Romeo.
Tyler - Medical Lead
Tyler grew up playing many different sports throughout his childhood until he finally stumbled across the movement of parkour. After falling in love with the sport and dedicating his life to it for many years, he found the sport of ninja and fell in love with this sport all over again. When Tyler joined the Fitset Ninja gym he found it was not only a team of athletes striving towards the same goals and helping each other over every obstacle, but it was a family.
Still Have Questions?
Reach out to a team member and have your questions answered as fast as a ninja. Or call 780.455.4442 today!