Brian Klapow: I Never Put My Hat in the Ring Like This
May 7, 2019
The D10 Athlete Profile explores what brings competitors to The D10 playing field...and what they bring away from it.
Brian Klapow
Associate, Fried Frank
The D10 NYC
Fundraising goal: $100K (!!!)
2019 Marquee event: Bench Press
How did you get involved with The D10?
Someone I knew from Penn State competed in it during my senior year in college, 2015. It was something we spoke about in passing. Then, of course, my friend Eric Vishnevetsky competed last year and did incredibly well. I had lived with Eric the first year after college, and so I was able to witness up close how he was training and fundraising.
What did you observe, and how did you decide to compete as an athlete?
That he was making a difference for an incredible cause...that this was an opportunity to support those who truly needed it. This past year, when Eric approached me about forming a team and taking it to the next level, it was a very easy decision to make.
How is the athletic training different than what you've done previously?
I’ve never been the most gifted athlete, to put it mildly. Any activity that involves me leaving my feet is not a strength of mine. With the Broad Jump and Vertical Jump, I struggle immensely. Back on Long Island I played roller hockey, semi-competitively, and I've played in the city the past couple years.
The intersection between athletic training and having a career is something I never fully understood until now. Your professional career and your conditioning directly flow into each other. When I'm under stress and working late, I notice a direct effect on what I'm able to do in a workout. It’s tempting to keep barreling forward like that, but training and exercise helps me see how my body’s feeling. It lets me know when I need to take a rest day or when I’m able to push through that extra rep, set or mile.
A big thing I realized after college is that there were other ways to work out. I started going to Tone House a couple times a week, testing the limits of what I can do. I got into running more and ran the New York City half-marathon. Growing up I never thought I’d be capable of something like that.
The D10 has given me renewed focus both at the gym and in the office, a reason to get into the gym more and to talk to coworkers about supporting pediatric cancer research.
What's the bond among the members of your team, 100K FTK?
Eric and I are friends from Penn State, and PSU people, I can count on as the best of friends. They do things without cutting corners. Lance, who was Eric's friend from growing up, had come to visit Eric in college, and some people might struggle to integrate in that situation. But Lance has one of the best hearts you'll ever meet, and it just shines through. Whatever the situation is, he'll always step up and do it. Bucky is Lance's friend and teammate from college soccer at Muhlenberg. I’ve gotten to know Bucky well throughout training and he is truly dedicated to making a difference in this community. It's a great feeling to have these guys as teammates. I can’t wait for game day with the three of them at my side.
So what does it feel like to be chasing the all-time D10 record with your team fundraising goal this year of $100,000?
It's a little hard to put in perspective right now. I've been involved in causes and fundraising before, but not to the extent I am with The D10. I've never put my hat in the ring like this. Honestly, I never thought a result like this would be possible.
Throughout my life, it will always be something I look back on with pride.
Eric and I are friends from Penn State, and PSU people, I can count on as the best of friends. They do things without cutting corners. Lance, who was Eric's friend from growing up, had come to visit Eric in college, and some people might struggle to integrate in that situation. But Lance has one of the best hearts you'll ever meet, and it just shines through. Whatever the situation is, he'll always step up and do it. Bucky is Lance's friend and teammate from college soccer at Muhlenberg. I’ve gotten to know Bucky well throughout training and he is truly dedicated to making a difference in this community. It's a great feeling to have these guys as teammates. I can’t wait for game day with the three of them at my side.
So what does it feel like to be chasing the all-time D10 record with your team fundraising goal this year of $100,000?
It's a little hard to put in perspective right now. I've been involved in causes and fundraising before, but not to the extent I am with The D10. I've never put my hat in the ring like this. Honestly, I never thought a result like this would be possible.
Throughout my life, it will always be something I look back on with pride.
Help Brian and his teammates achieve the unthinkable and become the first D10 team to raise $100,000 in one year for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Donate to Lance's fundraising campaign here. Every dollar donated goes directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering.