PI graduate realizes dreams

Growing up in New England, every crack of the bat or toss of a football has kids dreaming of getting out on the field and working with the best of the best. The dream is often waylaid or put on the back of the shelf but for one young Presque Isle native, the dream is being realized.
    Andrew Vernon, a 2000 graduate of Presque Isle High School, graduated last May from Hofstra University in New York with a degree in exercise physiology, and through his own tenacity is already working with sports stars from around the world.
Vernon is currently employed as a certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal assistant to Gary Gueirreo at the U.S. athletic training facility in New York. The world renowned facilities bring athletes from around the world for rehabilitation. Gueirreo is also a consultant with the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Rangers, Jets and Giants and currently works with National Football League athletes and the commissioner, which is opening a lot of doors for his young assistant.
“[Working with Gueirreo] is an exciting experience and a great opportunity,” Vernon said. “Gary has been a certified athletic trainer, physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist for about 25 years. Doctors from around the world refer athletes to him and I’m learning a lot from him and the athletes. I’m able to see what they can do first-hand and learn how they started their careers.”
A four-year varsity skier at PIHS, Vernon won the Aroostook County Ski Meister title and placed third for the State Ski Meister. He also ran track and cross country before heading to New York as a pre-med student. He stayed in the medical field and interned with area orthopedic surgeons, but his love of sports pulled him back.
“I had a change of heart,” Vernon said. “I thought [exercise physiology] would be a better fit for me, so I changed direction and focused more on the sports aspect.”
Though he credits his current job to being in the right place at the right time, Vernon can take a lot of the credit for opening a lot of the doors himself. Once he figured out the best career path for himself, he went about calling various organizations and got meetings with officials at places like Giant Stadium and the New York Jets’ athletic complex. Those meetings led to more and more connections until he landed his current position.
Over the summer, Vernon got the opportunity to work at the annual Derek Jeter Clinic in New York City as well as a New York Mets clinic. He has also worked in football camps with the likes of the three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and the New York Jets and is using those opportunities as a jumping point for a career with a professional sports organization.
“I’ve been applying to different [professional sports clubs],” Vernon said. “I really want to working with athletes on strength and conditioning, training in their facilities, rehab if they’ve been injured and getting them back at the strength they need to be at in order to perform … I’m hoping to get in with the New York Jets. I like what Eric Mangini has done with his staff. He has the players focused throughout the entire season. I want to be part of a winning organization.”
Vernon allows that he is open to applying with the New England Patriots but positions with the organization are fairly competitive. He also maintains that though it has been a treat to work with several members of the New York Yankees organization, he is and will always be a Boston Red Sox fan. He is the son of Tim and Therese Vernon of Presque Isle.